SHELBY COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Shelby County State’s Attorney Nichole Kroncke announced that the Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois, Public Integrity Bureau, said its review of allegations of fraud, theft and official misconduct against the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is complete.
The conclusion, according to the notification, is “that the allegations do not constitute a criminal offense and, accordingly, do not support any criminal charges.”
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office was appointed by the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court as a special prosecutor to review and, if warranted, prosecute allegations of fraud, theft and official misconduct levied by the Shelby County Treasurer in December of 2019.
An extensive investigation of alleged theft of funds through the Sheriff’s Office payroll system, as well as an alleged illegal sale of seized firearms, was conducted by the Illinois State Police, Division of Criminal Investigations, Zone 5.
20/20 Forensic Accounting was retained by Shelby County to conduct a payroll audit of the Sheriff’s Office from January 2015 through July 2020.
During the course of the audit, the firm reviewed payroll records, bank accounts, collective bargaining agreements (and any modifications) as well as bank statements for the county and the Sheriff’s Office.
Auditors also interviewed employees of the Sheriff’s Office, the County Clerk’s Office and the Treasurer’s Office. The audit revealed that $326,315 was overpaid to employees and $332,598 was underpaid to employees. The final result of the audit was a net underpayment to employees of $6,283. The audit findings were shared with and reviewed by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
All firearms related to the investigation are accounted for and secured within the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office according to Shelby County Sheriff Brian McReynolds.