CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / SANTA ANA

A former Orange County assistant sheriff fired in 2004 and sent to jail in a perjury conviction could receive about $270,000 in back pay under a judge’s tentative ruling that he was wrongfully terminated by then-Sheriff Michael S. Carona, his attorney said Tuesday.

In a tentative ruling issued June 19, Orange County Superior Court Judge Andrew Banks found that Carona, who was recently convicted of witness-tampering and sentenced to more than five years in prison, denied his former chief of staff, George Jaramillo, notice of termination and a due process hearing.

The judge’s ruling did not specify the award amount, but Jaramillo’s attorney, Joel Baruch, said his client would probably receive about $270,000 for the nearly three years of back pay. The actual amount will be calculated by the county.

The estimated $270,000 in back pay does not include a request for about $500,000 in attorneys fees or possible “pre-judgment interest” the judge may attach to the final figure, Baruch said.

-- Tami Abdollah