Pinal County residents long frustrated with utility owner George Johnson are piggybacking on criminal charges against him and others in a civil suit filed Monday.

An attorney representing indicted lobbyist Jim Norton said in court today the lobbyist’s ex-wife provided more than 250 pages of documents to the federal investigation that also includes former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce, his wife Sherry Pierce and Johnson Utilities owner George Johnson.

Federal prosecutors are offering to tell defendants in the Corporation Commission bribery case who and what else they're investigating -- but only if they agree not to share that information with anyone else.

Defense attorneys for Pierce and his wife, Sherry, filed a motion saying the government wants the court to order that FBI reports, transcripts and recordings of witness interviews, and financial records and tax records of third parties be protected from the eyes of the public.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is still without an ethics code, despite an initial pledge a year ago to come up with one and a federal bribery case casting a shadow over the regulatory body.

Citing the indictment of one of its former members, state utility regulators voted today to review a policy allowing utility company owners to pass along some of their personal income tax burden to customers.

Former Arizona Corporation Commission Chairman Gary Pierce and Johnson Utilities owner George Johnson had nothing to say for themselves after pleading not guilty to federal charges in the U.S. District Court on June 7.

In documents filed late Friday, Andy Tobin wants the current commission to tell affected companies to immediately start putting the additional money they're collecting from customers into an interest-bearing account. In the interim, he said regulators will review the policy change enacted at the behest of Gary Pierce.

Gov. Doug Ducey called the indictment against four prominent people he is associated with personally and professionally “very troubling,” but urged people not to rush to judgment and to respect the legal process. Former Arizona Corporation Commission chairman Gary Pierce, ...

Lobbyist Jim Norton is stepping down from Axiom Public Affairs to fully focus on his defense against an indictment for fraud, bribery and other charges.