Someone has paid to put up billboards in Phoenix suggesting a possible 2020 Maricopa County sheriff run for Joe Arpaio.

But it's unclear who is behind the signs, and Arpaio, now 87, said he hasn't decided whether he'll run — or even which seat he's considering.

But he seemed to tease something on Twitter recently, saying he supported Trump's "immigration raids" and "I plan on returning to my fight against crime and immigration. Stay tuned."

Arpaio in 2016 was ousted from his position as sheriff after 24 years. In 2017, he was convicted of criminal contempt of court and then pardoned by President Donald Trump. In 2018, he ran unsuccessfully for U.S Senate, losing in the Republican primary.

The billboard, which depicts a picture of Arpaio in his uniform, says, "Sheriff Joe One More Time 2020."

Arpaio told The Arizona Republic in a phone interview Thursday that he didn't know anything about the billboards or who paid for them.

"I haven't filed for anything," he said, adding, "But I appreciate the support."

He said he hasn't yet ruled out a run for office in 2020, a tactic he used many times before to imply possible runs for higher offices. In most cases, he ended up deciding not to run — the 2018 Senate race was the exception.

"Right now, I've just heard it's (the billboard) has gone up," he said. "And I have to make that decision whether I'm going to run or not. I want to clear the air as soon as I can."

He didn't indicate whether he was considering another run for sheriff or U.S. Senate, or something else.

Who paid for the billboards?

The billboards state they were paid for by the One More Time political action committee. There is no such committee registered with the state or Maricopa County, where a committee supporting someone for Maricopa County sheriff run would have to register.

A federal committee with that name was created July 2. It lists a Washington, D.C., address that includes a "virtual office" space that anyone can rent by the month. Also, a Washington, D.C.,- based phone number associated to the committee was disconnected.

It's not clear how many of these billboards have been put up across the Valley.

Signs that Arpaio may run?

Arpaio hasn't filed paperwork to establish 2020 campaign committees for either sheriff or U.S. Senate.

An individual in March filed a Draft Sheriff Joe for Senate 2020 statement of organization with the Federal Elections Commission. Such committees support a candidate, but are not authorized campaign committees, according to federal records.

Elijah Paris Day is listed as the committee's treasurer on the committee documents. He provided a Peoria address and a phone number with a Pennsylvania area code.

He did not immediately respond to a call from The Republic seeking comment.

Racial profiling case

In 2017, Trump pardoned Arpaio for his criminal contempt conviction.

Arpaio’s conviction stemmed from a decade-old racial-profiling federal court case brought at the height of illegal-immigration crackdowns by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union and others argued that Arpaio’s traffic stops and “saturation patrol” tactics were discriminatory because they singled out Latinos.

In 2013, a judge found deputies had used race as a factor in their policing and ordered sweeping reforms of the office’s policies.

But Arpaio’s deputies continued business as usual for at least 17 more months. According to trial testimony, 171 people were illegally detained by MCSO deputies and turned over to federal immigration authorities.

The judge found Arpaio in civil contempt for violating his order and forwarded the case for criminal contempt. Prosecutors from the U.S Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Unit prosecuted the case in 2017 before U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton.

Arpaio’s attorneys argued the violations were unintentional and that Arpaio delegated the court’s order to subordinates.

Uriel Garcia covers public-safety issues in Arizona. Reach him at uriel.garcia@azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter @ujohnnyg.

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