Butler County Update: FBI Probe Widens; Still Appears Focused on Fox

Well, well, well...we're moving beyond Dynus now. Cox Newspapers' intrepid reporter Josh Sweigart fills us in on the latest developments:

Documents Butler County officials say were turned over to the FBI May 5 suggest the bureau is investigating more than a fiber optics deal gone awry.

County officials confirm that federal agents have secured contracts and invoices for mold cleanup projects the county authorized in 2003 and 2004.

The second project included several contracts to clean up the Government Services Center in January 2004 after a sprinkler broke and soaked the building's second floor. Those contracts totaled roughly $60,000, including $20,703 for Middletown-based A-Absolute Water Restoration.

FBI officials won't say what they're looking for.

My headline suggests that Mike Fox is still being targetted and let's have Josh tell you why I think that is...

But Children Services Director Michael Fox — who was a commissioner at that time — did have a prior business relationship with Gary Keller, the owner of both water cleanup companies.

Fox said Keller's company paid his [company], Fox Development and Distribution, to help secure cleanup contracts in Florida and Louisiana after hurricanes there. Fox said he doesn't recall what years he worked for Keller, or how much his company made.

While Fox did vote to approve Keller's 2003 contract, he said, "I never gave anyone special treatment in a contract."

Keller said he contacted the county for the 2003 contract, and his company was picked out of a telephone book at random for the 2004 cleanup.

Keller wouldn't comment further, citing the ongoing FBI investigation.

Mike Fox has been at the heart of all of this. It doesn't mean he is guilty of anything, but it does mean that he is under serious scrutiny.

One name that has dropped off of my Dynus Radar (tm) is George Lang. I don't know what that means, if anything; but I've not heard his name mentioned in awhile.

Got a tip? Send it on in...the email address is over in the sidebar.

UPDATE 1: Josh has the two contracts in question published over at his place.

UPDATE 2: WMD: Contracts by Phone Book?