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January 29, 2015

And the Difference Is … What?

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 7:35 am

puzzled2Yesterday’s local skewspaper article headlined Athol audit results revealed included this statement:  “[Assistant US Attorney Traci] Whelan said the federal government got involved in the case because Hansen was a public employee in a position of public trust.”

Fine.  That was certainly an acceptable reason.

But from 1985 until she retired in 2010, Sandra Kay Martinson was a public employee in a position of public trust as Kootenai County Chief Deputy Clerk and Auditing Supervisor embezzling public money in the office of former Kootenai County Clerk Dan English.  Yet when English’s replacement Cliff Hayes requested assistance from the FBI, his request was first approved and then just as quickly withdrawn.  According to the FBI’s response to our inquiry through Congressman Raul Labrador, Hayes’ request (not ours as AD Perkins incorrectly stated in his letter) was turned down by AUSA Whelan’s boss, the office of the US Attorney for the District of Idaho Wendy J. Olson.  Martinson was convicted in state court and sentenced to 90 days in the county jail, however she was released from jail before she completed that sentence.

So if the reason for the feds getting involved in Hansen’s investigation was because she was a public employee in a position of public trust, then why did the US Attorney for the District of Idaho tell the FBI to back off on Martinson?

15 Comments

  1. Damage control? Looks like another red flag.

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 29, 2015 @ 11:38 am

  2. Stebbijo,

    Cliff Hayes’ request to the FBI was for a Special Agent/Forensic Accountant to work with him to evaluate the condition of other county accounts over which the County Clerk has some statutory responsibilities in the Clerk’s role as County Auditor. It was a reasonable and very proper request based on the observations he made shortly after being elected.

    Comment by Bill — January 30, 2015 @ 7:24 am

  3. Yes, and he is one of the rare few who actually tried to make a difference and sadly, he is no longer here to help. So, why was his request turned down? I think, because of my prior post – damage control. As long as they – as in the US District Attorneys office – can keep the details locked up and controlled, then it might not lead to the real problem. Start looking at who this office is associated with, maybe. I think Idaho is nothing but a skilled network of cover-ups, corruption, and bribery. extortion, ect. They are all probably working on “referral fees.” LOL

    However, the Athol clerk wasn’t very smart if she wrote checks to herself and her husband – and we will probably never know where the other funds went to.

    It was also reasonable for Cliff Hayes to ask for access to the judicial budget but that was quickly shot down, too.

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 30, 2015 @ 7:37 am

  4. History can project probable future actions. For examples of this type of inaction are common. Anyone remember the ‘University Place’ situation? That check, written without authorization by the then U of Idaho President, was roughly $10 million. As South Park’s Officer Barbrady says, “Move along people. Nothing to see here.”

    Comment by up river — January 30, 2015 @ 9:15 am

  5. We need “read only” online access to all of the budgets and a check register, that would cure a lot of corruption. If i remember correctly, I believe some of our current city council member(s) were suggesting online registers for accounability at one time. That idea evidently bit the dust.

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 30, 2015 @ 6:02 pm

  6. up river,

    RE: comment 4. As I recall the US Attorney for the District of Idaho when the University Place scandal broke was Tom Moss. I seem to recall that he took the typical cowardly “Idaho Prosecutor” approach and handed the criminal prosecutions off to the US Attorney in Oregon. Moss was, in my opinion, as worthless a US Attorney as Wendy J. Olson is. South Park’s Officer Barbrady was wrong then and wrong now. There’s a lot to see and a lot that needs to be recognized for what it is. Unfortunately, when personal and political loyalty takes precedence over duty, prosecutors don’t behave any differently than the criminals they should be prosecuting rather than protecting by declination or “no criminal intent — just Idaho ignorance.”

    Comment by Bill — January 30, 2015 @ 7:11 pm

  7. Stebbijo,

    When you recognize who owns the newspapers and who completely owns some public officials and who has other public officials by the most sensitive parts of their bodies, you should not be surprised to see inaction on the part of the aforementioned public officials. Welcome to Idaho — set your clocks back 50 years.

    Comment by Bill — January 30, 2015 @ 7:14 pm

  8. Exactly,, Idaho does not change, it just gets better at what it did 50 yrs ago. Even with influence from out of staters, it just keeps plugging along on the same course it runs over and over again. It is very frustrating, because nothing changes or gets better because “they” like it this way. There is no shame in their own ignorance, they just play the part that has worked their way forever. I-DUMB-HOE … the land of spud buckers, toe tapppers, and cowboys playing politics. Idaho is kind of like a Trojan Horse, the gift that always looks for new pooper scoopers. It is more like, Welcome to the rodeo – Buy the ticket, Drink the kool-aide. The good ones get smart and leave. Kate Kelly resigned in 2010 and did not run again … she tried to pass ethics and financial disclosure laws. The senate just threw her work in a drawer. She probably could not stand the stench, so she left citing financial restrictions.

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 30, 2015 @ 8:11 pm

  9. While operationally it is about as bad as it gets it was nice to still see an actual audit of the problem activity in Athol after it was discovered. Here at the County level there are bank accounts where Martinson withheld the Courts money for months at a time and up to a year and a half spending it to facilitate a program of the former Sheriff. These accounts have never been audited by anyone and were closed in 2012. The very illegal activity still falls under the statute of limitations and our current Clerk/Auditor has decided on his own not to audit the accounts.

    Martinson stole form a court bank account and if I recall correctly she stated that is was a very easy thing to do. This activity involved two bank accounts that were not in a County approved bank and were two of seven external bank accounts of the former Sheriff.

    The Sheriff also had one account that he alone signed some checks on and checks were written to him that was external of the BOCC, Treasurer, and Auditor when spending at will outside of his budget. Plainly embezzlement according to Idaho Codes 31-3101 and 31-3102. Our current Clerk/Auditor will not audit this account either.

    Sadly at least two external bank accounts were operated at the Sheriff’s office last year.

    Comment by Appalled — January 31, 2015 @ 2:35 pm

  10. Appalled – The information you have provided just floors me. What bank(s) were not county approved?

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 31, 2015 @ 5:34 pm

  11. Wells Fargo the County’s bank is US Bank

    Comment by Appalled — January 31, 2015 @ 5:51 pm

  12. Appalled,

    Re comment 9, the statute of limitations you mentioned are, I believe, state SOLs. Federal would have been 5 years, but of course as far as we can determine, the feds didn’t want to get involved — or someone with a whole lot of influence made sure the feds didn’t get involved.

    Comment by Bill — January 31, 2015 @ 5:59 pm

  13. I just read an online article from Bill’s favorite skewspaper, mentioning the large turnover of employees …Auditor’s office has many new faces. I cannot link it because I am on this stupid tablet. ARGH! Coincidental departures?

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 31, 2015 @ 6:18 pm

  14. Stebbijo,

    Or just possibly with the very timely and appropriate installation of Cliff Hayes and as County Clerk and Pat Raffee as his deputy, the lax standards that had been tolerated for years were suddenly raised to where they ought to have been, and some of the now-former employees found they weren’t willing or able to meet to them.

    Comment by Bill — January 31, 2015 @ 7:34 pm

  15. … or those employees were finally getting caught in a web of corruption and deceit and decided to wash their hands up, while there was some available soap.

    Comment by Stebbijo — January 31, 2015 @ 9:04 pm

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