Sheriff, DA, Police Investigating City Government in Bankruptcy-Bound San Bernardino
The Sheriff’s Department said Thursday it was working with police and the district attorney’s office to investigate possible criminal activity within the government of San Bernardino, where city officials voted this week to take the rare step of filing for bankruptcy.
Sheriff-Coroner Rod Hoops said in a statement the investigation began at the request of city officials several months ago.
City Attorney James Penman said earlier this week that the City Council had been presented with falsified documents that masked the city’s deficit for 13 of the past 16 years, and he had given evidence of financial mismanagement to “appropriate government agencies,” declining to provide further details.
The sheriff declined to release any details about the investigation, who it’s focused on, or whether it relates to the bankruptcy or falsified documents.
Mayor Pat Morris told the Riverside Press-Enterprise Thursday night that he was frustrated by the sheriff’s disclosure.
“I wonder why they would do that, if it’s an ongoing investigation,” Morris told the newspaper. “I was a prosecutor, for God sakes. I was a judge, and you don’t put out press releases announcing an investigation.”