WOW: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Releases New Information on President Obama's Birth Certificate (FNN)

Investigation Background

At a press conference, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Chief Investigator Mike Zullo presented findings from an investigation launched in 2011, after local Tea Party members asked the sheriff to examine President Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate.

They repeatedly emphasized that their investigation concerned the authenticity of the document released by the White House—not where Obama was born.

Claims Presented at the Press Conference

Zullo said the sheriff’s office had consulted forensic document examiner Reed Hayes in Hawaii and the Italian multimedia-forensics group Four Labs. He described their work as independent and said both experts concluded that the certificate was inauthentic.

The central allegation was that elements on Obama’s certificate—including text, marks in form boxes, and date stamps—had been digitally copied from another Hawaiian birth certificate belonging to Johanna Ani, whose birth was recorded 16 days earlier. Zullo argued that similarities in the stamps’ placement and angles, as well as matching form details, indicated copying.

The speakers’ conclusions and allegations were presented at the event; the subtitles do not establish them as independently verified findings.

Other Concerns Raised

Zullo questioned the certificate PDF’s metadata and production history, and raised concerns about the security paper used for birth records. He said Hawaii officials had confirmed birth-record information but had not necessarily authenticated the specific image released publicly.

He described attempts to obtain clarification in Hawaii and said officials and a medical center did not cooperate. He also said Ani was not a suspect, though he considered her an investigative lead.

Proposed Next Steps

Arpaio said the investigation would be turned over to federal authorities and Congress. He called for congressional hearings and a law requiring presidential candidates’ documents to be vetted.

The speakers declined to answer questions, citing additional sensitive information.

Presenters and Contributors

• Joe Arpaio
• Mike Zullo
• An unnamed Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office media-relations director
• Bob Corbin, introduced at the event
• Reed Hayes
• Four Labs and its representative, Marco
• Mark G., credited with digital analysis