An investigation has cleared the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office of allegations of fraud, theft, and official misconduct.  According to the Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois, Public Integrity Bureau, the allegations do not constitute a criminal offense and they 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 possibly prosecute allegations of fraud, theft, and misconduct levied by the Shelby County Treasurer in December of 2019.  An investigation showed theft of funds through the payroll system for the Sheriff’s Office as well as an alleged illegal sale of seized firearms.  The ISP DCI Zone 5 conducted the investigation. 

The company 20/20 Forensic Accounting was retained by Shelby County to conduct a payroll audit of the Office from January 2015 to July 2020. During the audit, the firm would review payroll records, bank accounts, collective bargaining agreements, and bank statements for the county and the Sheriff’s Office.  The audit showed that $326,315 was overpaid to employees and 332,598 was underpaid to employees.  The final results were a net underpayment of $6,283. The audit finds were shared and reviewed by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.  

All firearms that have been related to this incident and investigation have been accounted for and secured within the office according to Shelby County Sheriff Brian McReynolds.