Lackawanna County Sheriff Mark McAndrew has asked for a criminal investigation of two deputy sheriffs who faced an internal investigation into overtime irregularities.
District Attorney Brian Gallagher confirmed he received a request for a criminal investigation from McAndrew on June 3.
Gallagher said he has asked the state attorney general’s office to take over the case.
“We have conflicts (of interest),” Gallagher said. “We have (deputy) sheriffs on our SWAT team. The (deputy) sheriffs monitor the security in our building. We actually have one stationed in our building. And we work with them every day (on) transporting prisoners for court.”
Efforts to obtain comment from McAndrew were not immediately successful.
A spokesperson for the attorney general's office confirmed the office received Gallagher's letter, but declined to comment on whether the office will investigate. The office routinely declines to confirm or deny the existence of investigations.
In a letter to Gallagher asking for the investigation, McAndrew said the deputies allegedly received about “$20,000 per year in overtime compensation over at least the past three years.”
“The nature and extend of these allegations raised serious concerns regarding potential theft of public funds and other related criminal conduct involving taxpayer money and the abuse of public trust,” McAndrew wrote.
“Given the seriousness of these allegations and the public positions held by the individuals involved, we respectfully request that your office conduct a full, independent and comprehensive criminal investigation into this matter, including but not limited to a review of payroll records, overtime submissions, scheduling records, supervisory approvals, and any related documentation of electronic communication,” McAndrew wrote.
The letter names the deputies, but WVIA News is not naming them because they have not been charged.
