Former Sheriff Keith Nygren had an off-the-County Treasurer’s books checking account called the “Inmate Profit Fund.”
Deposits came from what McHenry County Jail inmates paid for things at the commissary and other similar sources.
The de-centralized checking account was not kept by the McHenry County Treasurer.
Once a year the McHenry County Auditor looked at it.
Although Nygren’s people classified the account as an “agency account” that was an incorrect labeling for accounting purposes because the funds were not held on behalf of the inmates, but were used for the benefit of the detainees’ welfare.
The former Sheriff purchased items that were not run through the Purchasing Department, as they should have been.
As of August, 2014, it had about $242,000 in it, not an insignificant amount.
Newly-elected Sheriff Bill Prim has agreed to move the account into a special revenue account in the County Treasurer’s Office. It, however, will be earmarked for Sheriff’s Office expenditures.
During the last Sheriff’s term, the following expenditures were not recorded as an expense or capitalized:
- $23,280 to Maher Engineering on 12-6-12 for exercise room sound panels
- $28,575 to Carrell Seating Company on 12-10-12 for inmate bleachers
- $10,631 to Plass Appliance & Furniture on 1-17-13 for inmate sound bars
- $41,211 to Cooks Correctional on 2-4-13 for dishwasher
- $6,556 to Identisys on 5-14-13 for volunteer ID card printer
- $1,700 to Cordogan Clark & Associates on 5-22-13 for wiring
- $74,756 to Haiges Machinery on 8-22-13 for “inmate worker equipment”
- $9,996 to Cooks Correctional on 12-23-13 for a 30 quart mixer
- $68,850 to Associated Electric Contractors on 2-10-14 for wiring
- $17,495 to Federal Sundy USA on 4-23-14 for “trough collector”
- $87,977 to Associated Electric Contractors on 5-29-14 for wiring
- $34,330 to TriActive America on 7-8-14 for exercise equipment
The County Board’s Finance Committee approved a resolution Thursday to create a new fund in the Treasurer’s Office and a new line item in the budget to allow for expenditures from that fund.
Thank you, Mr. Prim!
Thank you Cal for posting.
Really with the wiring ?
Checks and balances in government are always good.
Prim just got rid of a headache, made less work for himself, maybe a small pay cut is in order.
LOL
did
1st of all, did Nygren follow well established written McHenry County laws in regards to bids ?
2nd, What was this electrical work really for ? How many other companies had the chance to bid ?
3rd, yep, guess what this leads to ?? Money in Nygren’s campaign fund.
no secret that this company was a money donator to Nygren political campaign…
isn’t there a law that protects this ?
Quid Pro ?