Iroquois Co. (ECWd) –
Ford-Iroquois Public Health Department former employees, Doug Corbett, Julie Clark, and Cary Hagen were colluding on the illegal solar panel purchase in direct violation of the law.
You must read the previous article on this matter to grasp the magnitude of this fraud and the value of recent e-mails uncovered. (Click here for previous article on Solar Panel Fraud – Iroquois County). Many of the local supporters of these un-prosecuted criminals claimed we lied and twisted the facts, all while the documents support every word expressed.
Interestingly enough these people were stupid enough to refuse to give us the recently obtained e-mail records requested in our FOIA’s, so maybe it is time to take them back to court? (Click here for previous FOIA request in which they failed to provide key records under item #4)
These records, as if the others were not enough, prove without question the Solar Panel procurement process by this group was illegal and they orchestrated events to make it happen, as well as tried to cover it up by concealing these particular records.
Stan Clark, owner of Day & Night Solar is the spouse of Julie Clark, former FIPHD employee and by all indications she was a ring leader in the process. She happens to be the sister to convicted criminal Deanna Lustfelt, who just happens to be the wife of Iroquois County Circuit Judge Gordon Lustfeldt. (Indictment Here) (Judgment Here). As pointed out in this article, it appears these actions must run in the family!
Stan Clark was included in the communications on the scheme to allow this fraud to take place, and considering State’s Attorney Jim Devine has done absolutely nothing to hold these people accountable it makes you wonder why? Is the fact he has to bring cases before a judge who is related by marriage to these people? Is it because the sitting Sheriff is the brother to one of these law breakers? Is it because of knowledge of questionable past actions by certain people in the county have been kept secret? Or is it more of the same for Illinois State’s Attorneys who simply refuse to prosecute public corruption……..unless of course it involves the apposing political party?
Regardless of the reasons, the timeline of facts prove without question Cary Hagen, Julie Clark, and Doug Corbet all played a role in these illegal activities based on the paper trail.
June 24th, 2011 – Doug Corbett claims “Good News” – Cary Hagen spoke with the state’s attorney and was informed we don’t have to go public to accept bids over $10,000.
Why is it “Good News” to not have a public bid? Does anyone purchase things like insurance without first getting multiple quotes to ensure you are getting the best deal? Don’t most people drive several blocks in order to get gas a few cents cheaper? Why is it “Good News” that they don’t have to have public bids?
Three days later, a new twist in the communication to the same people who received the June 24th e-mail.
June 27th – 2011 – Doug Corbett claims State’s Attorney stated they do not have to have sealed bids and they need to change their procurement policy.
According to Jim Devine, no such communication ever took place. One that did take place on this matter was a response to the forensic auditor, who failed to find the key e-mail evidence of the collusion. Devine made it clear he did not advise Cary Hagen of what she claimed in her e-mail, and in fact if he would have told her anything, implying that he doesn’t recall any communication with her on it, he would have told her they must have public bids for anything “over” $10,000.00.
Why send that communication at all? Was it to provide cover to the scheme they concocted to commit this fraud? Records prove that Cary Hagen and Julie Clark discussed changing the policy earlier in the morning of this communication. Why send this e-mail out? All indications point to an attempt to provide cover.
Less than two hours after Corbett’s email on the 27th, Stan Clark, owner of Day and Night Solar, who was included on the June 27th, 2011 e-mail asks: “This is good I presume?”
Forty Five minutes later Julie Clark, wife of Stan Clark, sends a response to her husband with the clincher that at the time probably gave them reason to celebrate however now that this has been exposed may send them seeking a good criminal defense attorney!
“This is good I presume?” : “Yes, Cary and I discussed this earlier this morning. We are going to change our policy to read that we don’t have to get sealed bids.”
For starters, employees have NO AUTHORITY to arbitrarily change a policy of the public body. Only the trustees of that public body have that power and these people knew that as was evident from numerous meeting discussion.
The communications between Doug Corbett, Julie Clark, Stan Clark with Day & Night Solar, and Cary Hagen show the collusion that took place all in an effort to ensure the Solar Panel Purchase was done through the spouse of Julie Clark, which in essence puts money in her pocket as well.
Julie Clark’s e-mail confirms they were going to fabricate a policy to allow them to break the law. Fabricate because the existing policy at the time forbid this type of action and they knew it because the actual procurement policy spells it out quite well, and Julie Clark was very familiar with it because she shared it in an email with Doug Corbett. (Click here for procurement policy)
The confidence that they were going to get away with this fraud is shown in an e-mail Cary Hagen sent on August 1st, 2011 to the sales representative of Day & Night Solar, Andrea Wetzel.
“I’m going to start calling the Board of Health members for a special meeting to review the bids and to vote on a decision.”
I say confidence in their actions, because during our investigation it was quite evident the Health Board at that time did what ever Doug Corbett and his team suggested. They were all asleep at the wheel and because of that it’s clear this team of law breakers knew they could funnel the solar panel purchase to Stan Clark with Day & Night Solar and the board would never know the real truth.
So confident, that the contract with Day & Night Solar was already signed before Cary Hagen sent her e-mail to the sales rep claiming they were going to get the board to vote on it! That was proven by the forensic audit and we exposed it in this article.
Below are the two recently uncovered e-mails that I suspect a small group in Iroquois county probably wished were never found. They were subject to past FOIA request and it is clear the FIPDH people failed to provide them and it’s possible the forensic auditors either failed to find them or they found them and others within the county chose to suppress them from our requests. Time will tell, it always does!
E-mails confirming Collusion on Solar Panel procurement
Cary Hagen E-mail to Day & Night Solar Sales rep August 1st, 2011
With these most recent e-mails its even clearer than before! Julie Clark, Doug Corbett, and Cary Hagen all played a role in the illegal Solar Panel procurement. Stan Clark, as the contractor, was kept in the communication loop of all the illegal activity as well! Stay tuned for more evidence that shows other solar panel information was shared with Stan Clark which basically gave him a heads up of what the competitor was submitting!
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