A California state lawmaker stalked his wife and tried to control her movements while he was in rehab, shocking divorce documents reveal.
Elizabeth Arambula claims her husband, Joaquin Arambula, who is running for Fresno City Council, has been watching over her through his father while he recovers.
The mother-of-three claims she was spied on using the family home security system and said she threatened to call the cops on her father-in-law unless he stopped harassing her.
Elizabeth Arambula filed for divorce on January 26, issuing a series of lawsuits against her estranged lawmaker husband.
She accused him of spending thousands of dollars a month on gaming as well as being addicted to THC pens and whiskey.
According to her divorce papers, when Elizabeth Arambula was moving out of the family home, Joaquin Arambula, 48, asked his father to keep an eye on her and try to follow her to her new place with their three daughters, ages 11, 14 and 15.
“I had to approach his father and ask him to leave or I would call law enforcement,” she said in a signed statement.
“He took control of the home’s alarm system, removed me from the account and began monitoring our activity and setting the alarm remotely, all from the rehab facility.”
Elizabeth Arambula also accused the former emergency room doctor of having one of his daughters “download a tracking site for him so he would constantly know where we were.”
After 15 years of marriage, an ugly divorce battle has lifted the lid on Joaquin Arambula’s daily life as a Democratic representative for about 500,000 people in California’s 31st District, which covers the Fresno area.
Elizabeth Arambula continued: “On a normal day, he would spend most of his time using a THC pen, drinking whiskey, playing games on his iPad, and having some scattered meetings all the while.”
She says she has footage of him smoking marijuana from a vape pen on a Ring home security camera. In just one month, he reportedly spent nearly $4,700 on the mobile game “Raid:Shadow Legends.”
The salary of the association member was also revealed. His wife says he earns $12,000 a month and receives $6,000 as a daily allowance for the eight months the assembly is in session.
Elizabeth and her three daughters have expenses of $28,000 a month, and she claims he embezzled $1 million from their accounts.
Her lawyer, Zibby Atashian, told the newspaper: “After several attempts to reach an agreement with Dr. Arambula, she had no choice but to seek the court’s assistance.
“Ms. Arambula has been a devoted stay-at-home mother and wife for the past 15 years, and it remains her sincere hope that Dr. Arambula will do the right thing for her and their children.”
The MP said in court documents that he was not allowed to see his children and that he voluntarily entered a rehabilitation program.
“I felt like I needed some help to cope and make sure I wasn’t dependent on alcohol or marijuana,” he said.
“I have confidence in our judicial system to reach a fair and impartial resolution based on the facts and not on unreasonable demands, unjustified fears and false accusations.”
He added: “I am prepared to demonstrate my continued sobriety before the court and my willingness to support my family.”
Arambula checked himself into rehab at Reflections Rehabilitation Center for about $30,000. In 2018, he was arrested on child abuse charges for beating his then-seven-year-old daughter, although he was later found not guilty.
His daughter had told a teacher about the alleged abuse, which led to a report being filed with Child Protective Services.
Elizabeth also claimed that she drove him to work for several days because he was under the influence of alcohol and that a government vehicle would sometimes take him home.
Arambula was the first Latino physician elected to the Fresno Society.
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