VICTOR AENLLE, the chief of staff to former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus and her alleged boyfriend, has been released from the Sheriff’s Office one week after Ken Binder was appointed as the new sheriff.

Aenlle says his firing was strictly political and a form of retaliation.

“My removal was not about conduct, performance, or qualifications,” Aenlle said in a statement. “It was political. It was retaliatory. Sheriff Binder made the decision to release me — not because I failed to serve, but because I stood for accountability, fairness, and transparency.”

Aenlle was a central figure in the year-long scandal that led to the county Board of Supervisors removing Corpus last month.

In November 2024, the county released the results of an investigation into Corpus and Aenlle conducted by retired judge LaDoris Cordell. The report accused Aenlle and Corpus of fostering a culture of intimidation and retaliation in the Sheriff’s Office. They were also accused of having an affair, which drew concerns over a conflict of interest in Corpus’ hiring of Aenlle as her chief of staff.

The two repeatedly denied having a romantic relationship. In a two-week administrative hearing in August to evaluate if the county had grounds to remove Corpus, Judge James Emerson found that Corpus’ credibility was weakened by denying the alleged affair with Aenlle. 

After the Board of Supervisors tried to fire Aenlle by removing his position following the release of the Cordell report, he stayed in the Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy. But his last day on the job was Tuesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. 

A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office did not elaborate on the reasons for Aenlle’s release, but Aenlle thinks his removal shows that the new administration is politically motivated.

“What I have experienced is what happens when political loyalty becomes more valuable than integrity, service, or experience,” Aenlle said. “When a sheriff removes people for political reasons, the public loses trust. The system becomes compromised.”

Aenlle filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in September accusing the county of retaliation, wrongful termination, abuse of power, and defamation. His legal counsel is reviewing further options in response to his final removal from the Sheriff’s Office. 

Alise is a general assignment reporter with a focus on covering government, elections, housing, crime, courts and entertainment in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. Alise is a Bay Area native from San Carlos. She studied history at University of California, Santa Cruz and first started journalism at Skyline College’s school newspaper in San Bruno. She has interned for Bay City News and for Eesti Rahvusringhääling, or Estonian Public Broadcasting. She has covered everything from the removal of former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to the divisive battle over the Great Highway on San Francisco’s west side. Please send her any tips.