The Cuyahoga County law director's office has been subpoenaed by prosecutors seeking records involving county officials and documents dealing with Westlake-based information management company, Hyland Software.
The subpoena was sent to Cuyahoga County Law Director Robert Triozzi on Jan. 24. In lieu of a personal appearance, the prosecutor's office requested documentation regarding Chief Information and Transformation Officer Scot Rourke as well as IT General Counsel and Director of Special Initiatives, Emily McNeeley.
According to the summons, investigators are looking for contracts, financial documents and agreements between the county and Hyland Software.
Rourke and McNeeley's employment records and personnel files dealing with the county were also sought. Additionally, financial records dealing with their pay and outside employment were also requested.
A separate subpoena was filed on Feb. 9, with investigators seeking the personnel file and financial documents of Sharon Sobol Jordan, the former chief of staff for County Executive Armond Budish.
Jordan left her post in Budish's office earlier this month to become the chief executive officer of a startup called the Unity Project. The startup studies socioeconomic data on a large scale.
Investigators requested documents relating to expenses, mileage and costs Jordan submitted or were submitted on her behalf.
The prosecutor's office also requested records dealing with Jordan's vacation and sick time and information regarding her salary, bonus pay or any other monetary payment she may have received.
The prosecutor's office declined to comment when asked about the nature of the investigation.
Triozzi said his office is cooperating with investigators but isn't aware of any specific allegations that have been made.
He added: "If there is any evidence of wrongdoing, we are as interested as the prosecutor in ensuring that we find it and take immediate action."
This new probe comes nearly 10 years after the FBI first raided the halls of Cuyahoga County government on July 28, 2008.
It was a corruption scandal that ultimately sent 40 public officials to prison and resulted in more than 60 convictions.
Among the most prominent—former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, who is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence, and former auditor Frank Russo, serving a 22-year sentence.
And it prompted voters in 2009 to approve a new form of county government—replacing county commissioners with an 11 member county council headed by a county executive that took over in 2011.
County Executive Budish released the following statement:
“While the subpoenas my administration released are part of an ongoing investigation, and while we’ve not been told of any allegations, or apprised of the purpose of their inquiry, I want to be very clear: I cannot and will not tolerate any bad behavior. If anyone has done anything wrong, we’ll get to the bottom of it. To that end, I have asked the Inspector General to assist and coordinate with the authorities to the fullest extent possible.”
