Who is Steve Giardini?

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - While Steve Giardini was one of Mobile County's assistant district attorneys, he was assigned to the Child Advocacy Center which offers in its words, "community response to the problem of child abuse":  The Center and its director, Pat Guyton, had no comment on Tuesday's arrest.

In April, 2009, after FBI agents confiscated equipment from Giardini's home, Renee Dials tried to talk with Guyton about the case. At the time Guyton said, “I don't have any information. All I know is that he resigned.” Dials asked, “ When did you find that out?”, to which Guyton replied, “This morning. Mr. Tyson told me he resigned".  John Tyson, Junior is the Mobile County District Attorney.

Giardini was often seen on the news talking about sex abuse cases involving minors. For example in a story from 2001, he told us about another case and said, "Right now all indications are that she was consenting although law doesn't recognize her ability to consent the law simply doesn't recognize ability of 14 year old to consent."  Keep in mind, Giardini is now accused of trying to arrange sex with a 15 year old girl, who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.

The big question in this case? Why, if FBI agents raided Giardini's home in April, 2009, did it take this long to file charges against him? The FBI tells me in the course of a normal investigation, a case like this one would go to the U.S. Attorney's office, part of the Department of Justice.  But in this case, according to a statement from Mobile FBI special agent in charge Tim Fuhrman, the Justice Department referred the case to Alabama state prosecutors to review.

It is possible that in a city the size of Mobile, everybody in the legal community knows everybody else in the legal community, requiring the case to be turned over to another agency. I'm told that's what happened here.