July 03, 2007 08:18 PM UTC

CBI Wraps Up Jeffco Investigation

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• by: Colorado Pols

Heath Urie of The Canyon Courier breaks the story:

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has completed its inquiry into Jefferson County officials who authorized the use of public funds to pay for a private investigator to spy on citizens and former county employees.

The agency has scheduled a “closed-door meeting” to be held July 16, in which investigators will present their findings to the Adams County district attorney’s office. Adams DA Don Quick was named a special prosecutor in the matter in late March, because of the inherent conflict of interest that Jefferson County DA Scott Story would face by potentially prosecuting elected officials who control his office’s budget.

Quick will review the CBI’s presentation and should decide within a few days whether criminal charges are warranted.

Mike Goodbee, spokesman for the Adams County DA’s office, said Quick will make one of three determinations: the investigation justifies the filing of criminal charges; the investigation does not justify filing charges; or the DA would like the CBI to investigate further before making a formal decision…

…Storey requested the external CBI investigation following a Courier report and a complaint from the watchdog group Colorado Citizens for Ethics in Government about how $7,500 of Jeffco taxpayer money went to private investigator Daril Cinquanta, a personal friend of Republican Commissioner Jim Congrove, to spy on an unknown number of people at the county’s request.

Chantell Taylor, director of the citizen group, said she believes Quick should act on the CBI investigation by filing charges against at least Congrove…

…Under Colorado law, it is a crime for a public servant to knowingly convert government funds to any use other than that authorized by law, Taylor said.

“So-called ’embezzlement of public property’ is a crime punishable by up to three years in jail and fines of up to $100,000. Any public servant convicted of embezzling public property is also barred from holding office again.”

Cinquanta has said he reported to former county attorney Frank Hutfless with details about various people that Hutfless or the commissioners asked for. Both Congrove and Hutfless signed off on the bills for Cinquanta’s services, although the county has said it somehow does not have possession of the vast majority of the work products and reports that Cinquanta has said he submitted.

Sources have said the CBI investigation may have also broadened its scope to include answering how certain files went missing from the county attorney’s office previously, and how those files might be connected to the spy scandal.

At this rate, Jefferson County is going to have to devote a separate ward in its jail to former Republican officials. Congrove and fellow commissioner Kevin McCasky reportedly both removed files from the Jeffco Attorney’s office. When this is all said and done, it will be hard to tell who is the true “King of Corruption” – Congrove, McCasky or former Treasurer Mark Paschall