Who else was involved in former Jackson County exec Sanders’ alleged kickback scheme?

Jackson Countians were stunned in recent days by highly credible allegations of a campaign finance kickback scheme involving Mike Sanders, the former county executive.

Steve Hill, a disabled man living in a nursing home who has been a Sanders friend since childhood, revealed to The Star astonishing details of the scheme, which seems to have drawn the attention of investigators.

In 2010, Hill says, Sanders approached him with an idea. The high-profile Democrat would write checks from campaign committees he controlled, which Hill would then cash. Hill would keep $200 or $300 for himself, then give the rest of the money back to Sanders.

“I thought about it for a minute,” Hill told The Star. “What the hell? All right, I’m in a wheelchair, man. I’m hurting for a few bucks. And $200 or $300 would help me out.”

The arrangement continued for years, The Star reported. In all, Hill thinks he cashed $60,000 in checks from Sanders, most of them drawn against an obscure campaign committee called — astonishingly — Integrity in Law Enforcement.

Federal authorities will not confirm or deny an investigation into the matter. No charges have been publicly revealed.

As of Friday, Sanders had not commented on the explosive story. For most Jackson Countians, that silence — from one of the best-known politicians in local history — will speak volumes.

It’s tragic. Sanders was once considered a rising star in local and state politics, destined for higher office. Campaigns for Missouri attorney general or governor weren’t out of the question. A race for a Congress was possible.

Sanders served as county executive, Jackson County prosecutor, and chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party.

Federal and local authorities must continue their investigation of Sanders. But their work should also extend beyond Sanders to learn if anyone else knew of, or played a role in, the alleged kickback scheme.

For example: In the early 2010s three engineering firms, including one based in New York, served as paid consultants for a Sanders-backed transportation study in Jackson County.

In 2012, state records show, those firms or their officials gave $36,000 to Sanders’ Integrity in Law Enforcement committee.

Just days after those donations, the committee paid Hill more than $16,000.

Was any of that money kicked back to Sanders? Did the engineering firms know anything about a possible kickback to the county executive?

Was there any improper connection between the consultants’ contracts and their donations to the Sanders-controlled committee? None of the firms replied to emailed questions Friday. But investigators will want to answer those questions and others.

The Sanders allegations will be deeply disappointing to his friends and colleagues. They will tarnish the history of his work in Jackson County, while reenforcing the image of the county executive’s office as a place of lawlessness.

But Jackson Countians deserve to know the truth. The Star’s reporting has trained a spotlight on that process, and authorities must continue this important work.

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Who else was involved in former Jackson County exec Sanders’ alleged kickback scheme?."