Movement In ICJI Investigation

$417,000 GRANT TO MCKENNA CONSULTING NIXED
A $417,000 grant Heather Bolejack signed for McKenna Consulting last year in her capacity as executive director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) has been suspended according to an AP report. The grant was suppose to support a program called "Saving Kids of Incarcerated Parents" and $80,000 had already been paid out to the firm. According to the report, another $110,000 payment on its way to McKenna Consulting was intercepted by the state after it launched the investigation of the agency and placed Bolejack on paid administrative leave. And we should expect more tomorrow according to the report:

The criminal justice institute's board has scheduled both private and public meetings for Friday, with the agenda's listing discussions of personnel matters. An agency staffer told The Associated Press that the meetings are regarding Bolejack.

WISH reported that it checked with several state and private agencies, including the Department of Correction, and that none of them knew of any activities by Saving Kids of Incarcerated Parents.

Michael McKenna of McKenna Consulting told the station in an e-mail: "Although many have violated the IG's mandate of confidentiality, I have full faith in the review process and must respectfully decline to comment."

According to the Secretary of State's records, McKenna Consulting, LLC was just established on August 8, 2005. That's a big red flag right there. It doesn't even look like the entity existed prior to the awarding of the grant last year. It should come as no surprise that WISH-TV is reporting tonight that there is no evidence McKenna Consulting has helped one child with the $80,000 it's already collected. Don't be surprised to see Bolejack and other ICJI employees terminated at tomorrow's meeting of the ICJI's Board of Trustees.