Bismarck, North Dakota – The findings of an independent inquiry into a $1.7 million cost overrun for the leasing of a Bismarck facility will be examined by the state attorney for Morton County.
Ten years of leases were signed by late Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, allowing the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the State Lottery, and other attorney general-controlled offices to be housed in the building. Following a complaint submitted to the North Dakota Ethics Commission, current Attorney General Drew Wrigley requested that the Montana Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigate the arrangement.
“I’ve spoken with Al Koppy, the long-time State’s Attorney over in Morton County and he and his staff will be making that evaluation of the complete report conducted by Montana to determine whether there’s any chargeable conduct,” they’re evaluating the conduct of people that were involved in those transactions, you know, the predecessor administration in my office and also people associated with the property itself, Wrigley said Friday afternoon.
The current owner of the structure is Bismarck state representative Jason Dockter, a Republican.
Wrigley stated that he had no idea how long it would take to review the Montana probe.
In a related event, Wrigley stated that Julie Lawyer, the state attorney for Burleigh County, informed him that following her office’s original request to evaluate the ethics complaint, Julie Lawyer forwarded the ethics inquiry to Sheridan County state attorney Ladd Erickson.
