The lengthy investigation into the state Division of Highways by federal agents is beginning to produce results. Yesterday, Edward Matthew Tuttle, 38, a former administrator for the WVDOH office in Buckhannon, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal agency.
Federal authorities say Tuttle lied to investigators about his role in the delivery of a sold surplus state truck, on state time, to Baltimore. As public corruption goes, that’s hardly worth a mention.
However, remember how the feds investigate. They bring a convenient and easy-to-prove charge against an individual, obtain a plea, and use that individual’s testimony to broaden their probe. And Tuttle, as part of his plea yesterday, is expected to cooperate further with the feds.
Meanwhile, if the feds have offered another former DOH supervisor, Barry Thompson, any sort of deal, he’s not taking it. Thompson is scheduled for trial next month on a charge of making a false statement to an FBI agent.
That trial at the federal courthouse in Elkins will be worth watching closely because federal investigators will be compelled to disclose publicly more details of their ongoing investigation. We should get more insight about where this probe is headed.
The investigation by U.S. Attorney Bill Ihlenfeld has so far centered on operations at the DOH’s equipment division in Buckhannon, but he revealed on Metronews Talkline yesterday that the scope is wider. “It’s not just an Upshur County issue. It’s a statewide issue,” Ihlenfeld said. “There are other areas that we’re looking at and other parts of the state of concern.”
Ihlenfeld says they’re looking into allegations of possible bid rigging, political activities on state time using state resources, improper use of funds and wire fraud.
The DOH released a statement following yesterday’s plea: “The West Virginia Department of Transportation and the West Virginia Division of Highways continues to cooperate fully with authorities in their ongoing federal investigation.” Both Tuttle and Thompson resigned from the DOH last April.
Exactly one year ago, the Charleston Gazette’s Eric Eyre reported that the federal investigation included a contract between the highway department’s equipment division and a Cambridge, Ohio company, MoTrim, which supplied parts to West Virginia’s DOH for roadside mowers.
The paper reported at the time that “federal agents hauled away truckloads of documents from both locations” (MoTrim and the Buckhannon garage).
Ihlenfeld says the probe was instigated following a tip. “This all got started with a single complaint by a citizen who made a phone call to authorities and the investigation has turned us in a lot of directions,” Ihlenfeld told me on Talkline.
And he encouraged more citizens to come forward if they have information about possible public corruption and call his office at 1-855-WVA-FEDS.