Outside agency tapped to review allegations of corruption in Jackson County

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Friday it has asked an outside agency to review allegations of public corruption in the county.

Early Thursday morning, Jackson County Legislative Chairman Manny Abarca claimed that an aide working for another legislator offered $10,000 in exchange for Abarca’s vote on a pending issue.

Sheriff Darryl Forté said Thursday that Abarca made him aware of the allegations late Wednesday night, and that he encouraged Abarca to formalize the allegations in an email so that sheriff’s investigators could schedule a meeting to interview Abarca.

By late Thursday afternoon, Forté said that Abarca had yet to return calls from investigators to schedule a time.

In a news release Friday afternoon, Forté said that investigators had still not heard back from Abarca and that a formal report has yet to be filed with his office.

Forté also said Friday that after consulting with another law enforcement agency, they decided an outside agency would be best to conduct any investigation it seems appropriate.

“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency, accountability and ensuring that allegations of criminal conduct are addressed through the appropriate investigative processes,” Forté said Friday.

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