A key — and previously unreleased — report at the center of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors’ bid to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus was made public Wednesday, casting a newly critical light on her alleged affair with a top staffer and her office’s controversial arrest last year of a deputy union leader.
The so-called “Keker report” — completed earlier this year by the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters at the request of county officials — adds new details to allegations of wrongdoing and misconduct by Corpus, one of the state’s first Latina sheriffs.
Its release comes as Corpus faces two separate challenges to her leadership: a removal effort by supervisors and a civil grand jury accusation recently filed in San Mateo County Superior Court.
Though the 59-page report largely mirrors the findings of retired Judge LaDoris Cordell — whose county-commissioned report in March intensified calls for Corpus’ ouster — it includes more specific testimony, including named witnesses, and further documentation of alleged misconduct.
The documents surfaced after Corpus’ legal team filed them in court as part of a petition filed last month seeking to halt the supervisors’ removal process, which voters authorized in a March special election. That petition was denied.
Because the documents were not filed under seal, they were posted on the court’s website, according to the county. The documents were previously kept private at the request of Corpus’ legal team, citing the Peace Officer Bill of Rights’ guidelines on officer privacy during investigations.
This news organization had filed a Public Records Act request for the Keker report and other related materials last month. At the time, only the recommendation from pre-removal hearing officer John Keene was released in response. The full report and supporting documents became publicly accessible only after they were submitted in court.
“Neither the county nor its attorneys were involved in the filing of these documents nor their posting by the court,” said county spokesperson Effie Milionis Verducci.
She confirmed the filings came from Corpus’ attorneys at Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney. The sheriff’s legal team did not respond to questions about why the records were not sealed or whether the move was intentional.
Among the allegations cited in both reports is that Corpus maintained a personal or romantic relationship with Victor Aenlle, her former campaign manager who later became the top civilian staffer in the sheriff’s office, and requested pay raises for him. Several employees told investigators the two appeared closer than professionally appropriate and that efforts were made to conceal the relationship.
One longtime employee, Valerie Barnes, said she witnessed Aenlle giving Corpus shoulder massages and sending her text messages with phrases like “I love you,” according to the Keker report. The report concluded the relationship violated ethical norms and that Corpus and Aenlle discouraged internal complaints.
While Corpus’ legal team assailed Cordell’s report for its reliance on unnamed sources, the Keker report identified its witnesses by name. Corpus has consistently denied any romantic involvement with Aenlle, instead describing him as a close family friend of nearly 18 years who brought a valuable business perspective to the office.
The Keker report also outlines Corpus’ handling of the criminal investigation and arrest of Deputy Sheriffs’ Association President Carlos Tapia as a separate basis for removal.
Tapia was arrested on Nov. 12, 2024 — the same day the county released Cordell’s 400-page report — for alleged timecard fraud. According to the Keker report, Corpus initiated the investigation but failed to follow department policy requiring criminal probes involving deputies to be referred to outside agencies, such as the District Attorney’s Office, to avoid conflicts of interest.
Investigators found that Corpus and Aenlle “repeatedly and improperly” limited the scope of the inquiry, blocked interviews with key witnesses, and withheld information. Tapia and his predecessor are accused of using the “001 – Regular Hour” payroll code while conducting union business, which investigators said reflected a longstanding, albeit informal, practice. The report also noted that Tapia had been told by a payroll supervisor to change his billing code.
Despite guidance from the Chief Deputy District Attorney against making a warrantless arrest in such a complex case, Corpus ordered Tapia’s arrest just one hour before a scheduled labor negotiation meeting. Sheriff’s Office staff filmed Tapia’s self-surrender and released the footage to the media.
A month later, the District Attorney’s Office concluded Tapia “committed no crime” and “should not have been arrested.” The office described the investigation as “extraordinarily limited.” The Keker report determined the arrest constituted unlawful retaliation for protected union activity.
Also included in the newly public documents was a previously unreleased transcript of Corpus’ interview with Keene, who presided over her pre-removal hearing in June.
During the two-and-a-half-hour session, Corpus challenged nearly every aspect of the report and claimed she was the target of a “gang” of deputies aligned with her predecessor, former Sheriff Carlos Bolanos. She compared County Executive Mike Callagy to a mafia boss “like in the movie ‘Godfather,’” and again denied any romantic ties to Aenlle.
In March, Callagy filed a $10.5 million claim against Corpus for defamation.
Corpus said one of her lieutenants had been told by a District Attorney’s Office staffer that probable cause existed for Tapia’s arrest, and denied direct involvement in the decision. She described a deeply politicized department culture, alleging that deputies who refused to “kiss the ring” of past leadership were trying to undermine her reforms.
Corpus further claimed that three captains who had publicly called for her resignation falsely accused her undersheriff of drinking on duty.
“The worst part about this is that there’s cops that are lying, people that are lying,” she told Keene. “That really bothers me, ‘cause if they’re lying in this arena, what are they doing out when they’re serving our community members?”
San Mateo County confirmed that Corpus has formally appealed the Board of Supervisors’ preliminary decision to remove her, triggering a formal removal hearing within 30 to 60 days. Retired Santa Clara County Judge James Emerson will preside, according to Verducci.
“The sheriff has requested a closed hearing,” Verducci said. While such requests have been granted in the past, she added, “We will be evaluating that request in light of recent developments.”
Separately, Corpus is expected to appear in court on July 15 to respond to the civil grand jury accusation.