Money seized from two men who sold bogus body "enhancement" pills is now going to be used to build a much-needed Department of Public Safety crime lab.
The 40,000-square-foot facility, which will replace a small, outdated lab, is expected to open in two years and will make it possible to conduct tests that couldn't be performed in Tucson before, said Gov. Janet Napolitano during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The new lab, which will be behind the DPS Tucson headquarters, will cost $17.7 million, she said.
It will process evidence for all law-enforcement agencies in Southern Arizona.
The current lab, which is better described as 9,000 square feet of converted office space, has presented a number of issues, including not being able to conduct toxicology tests, instead sending cases to Phoenix and creating a two-week delay, said Ed Heller, the crime-lab manager.
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The wiring and ventilation in the lab is not appropriate for the equipment that needs to be used, he said.
Space is also a problem, with analysts having to wait in line to process evidence.
Although the situation is not ideal, Heller emphasized that evidence has not been tainted as a result.
The new lab will not only provide faster turnaround times for test results and more space, but the lab will also have new DNA test equipment, including testing for bones, which is vital for cases in which only skeletal remains are found in the desert, and testing that can identify trace male DNA in sexual assault cases.
"With the new facility, there will be less red tape to go through, which means we will be saving taxpayers money," said Officer Jim Oien, a Department of Public Safety spokesman.
"The faster we can process evidence, the faster cases will go through the judicial system and that benefits the victims in Pima County."
Other features that will be found in the new lab include:
● An indoor firing range to test-fire guns.
Right now, test fires are conducted outside where weather, wind and disturbances to surrounding homes and businesses have caused problems.
● An indoor vehicle processing area will allow officials to store vehicles involved in crashes or crimes, rather than storing them in a maintenance bay outdoors, which is what is done now.
So far this year, the DPS lab in Tucson has processed 10,000 cases, Heller said.
He could not estimate how many more cases would be able to be processed in the new lab but ensured that more work will be done in a more efficient manner.
The lab is being paid for by a settlement from a fraud case.
According to Maricopa County Superior Court records, the two men — Michael Consoli and Vincent Passafiume — made nearly $78 million selling the mail-order pills they claimed would enhance penis or breast sizes.
They acquired Paradise Valley mansions and drove exotic cars when they weren't being chauffeured around in a white limousine.
They kept more than $2.8 million in neatly stacked $100 bills inside a bedroom safe.
Civil and criminal complaints were settled in a single deal in which Consoli and Passafiume pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud, with a punishment of six months in jail and five years of probation.
The defendants lost all assets except $1 million cash, a few cars and home furnishings.
