A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena to St. Louis County, seeking records involving County Executive Steve Stenger, according to St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas.
Trakas told 5 On Your Side this follows an initial investigation St. Louis County Council launched months ago.
“The Wellston Land Deal, the Northwest Plaza as well as other transactions from what I understand,” Trakas said.
In both the Wellstone and Northwest Plaza land deals, the council raised questions about Stenger’s alleged involvement in offering high-dollar deals to the owners of both properties. Both of the property owners also contributed thousands to Stenger’s campaign.
“As a result of that investigation, we recommended to the council as a whole to have the matter sent to the proper legal authorities: the U.S Attorney’s Office and the Missouri AG’s office,” said Trakas.
It now appears U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen is taking up the investigation.
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According to Trakas, the subpoena orders the county to produce Stenger’s call history, texts and emails with current and former county employees about county contracts. It also requests material for seven senior members of Stenger’s staff as well as recordings and minutes from council meetings dating back to 2015.
“The fact that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has concluded it needs to dig deeper into this validates the efforts of the council to focus on accountability and transparency in county government,” Trakas said.
The investigation only highlights a growing divide between Stenger and his county council. We asked Trakas if this was just an extension of the battle between the county executive and council.
“I would say everyone should understand that any U.S. Attorney’s Office, regardless of where it is, doesn’t enter into investigations cavalierly,” he said.
Trakas told 5 On Your Side the investigation could take months or even longer. Regardless of the outcome, he believes the county will be better for it.
Stenger released the following statement Monday morning,
"With respect to the issuance of a subpoena to County government, we intend to provide all of the information requested and cooperate fully.”
Statement from Chairman of St. Louis Economic Development Partnership
"As a board, we are committed to the mission of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, which is to attract, retain and facilitate the growth of businesses in the St. Louis region. Under new leadership, our laser focus remains on supporting economic development in the region. We have received subpoenas seeking records from the Partnership and related entities. While we cannot comment on any particular investigation, we are committed to full cooperation with authorities and transparency with the public. We are proud that our organization is one of the first combined efforts of St. Louis city and St. Louis County, and are committed to ensuring we can focus on our mission in the most efficient and effective way possible."