Attorney General Mark Vargo has promoted Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Chad Mosteller to Director of DCI. Unlike the Ravnsborg crony whom Vargo fired during the first 24 hours of Vargo’s reign, Mosteller has worked as a cop— for 20 years in DCI.
Mosteller proved his cop chops when he busted GOP operative Garrett DeVries, the infamous State Flag Thief:
Mosteller said newly elected Sec. of State Krebs noticed in January 2015 the historic flag was missing from its display spot in the secretary of state’s office.
Krebs searched for it, then told the state Auditor General’s office about it and that office conducted an investigation without finding it. The investigation was turned over to Jackley’s office and the DCI in July, Mosteller said.
Through interviews with former employees of the secretary of state’s office, Mosteller said he learned on Sept. 3 that in 2013, DeVries had told someone he “took the flag.”
On Oct. 8, Mosteller called DeVries in Washington where he was working and DeVries made clear he was aware of the investigation into the missing flag, Mosteller wrote in his affidavit.
“DeVries indicated that he knew the flag was ‘old’ and it was one of the original state flags,” Mosteller wrote in his affidavit. “DeVries stated several times that he did not know the location of the flag. Throughout the interview, I explained to DeVries that I believed he took the flag. After denying several times that he took the flag, I asked DeVries if the flag was in Washington, D.C., or back in South Dakota. DeVries stated, ‘It’s out here with me, Chad. I have the flag.’”
Mosteller said “DeVries took the flag because he thought it was cool. DeVries denied taking the flag to sell it.”
DeVries admitted taking the flag while he worked for Sec. of State Jason Gant from December 2012 through November 2013.
Mosteller contacted the FBI “who assisted in retrieving the flag and returning it to the DCI office in Pierre,” Mosteller said [Stephen Lee, “Republican Operative Charged with Stealing ‘Cool’ State Flag,” Pierre Capital Journal, 2015.11.02].
Wow: with a record like that, who knows what other corrupt republican thieves our new DCI Director will help AG Vargo bust?
Speaking of corrupt Republican thieves, far worse violations of law than the State Flag Theft were committed by part-time Governor Kristi Noem: Violations of laws involving use of the state airplane and the intervention, harrassment and sacking of Sherry Bren, the former director of South Dakota’s appraiser certification program, as reprisal for not helping Noem’s daughter cheat the appraiser certification process.
Congratulations to Attorney General Mark Vargo for cleaning house and promoting Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Chad Mosteller to Director of DCI. That’s a good step forward. Now, gentlemen. Do. Your. Job.
Don’t leave this mess for Marty Jackley to clean up. We ALL must live by the rule of law. That includes Garrett DeVries and Kristi Noem.
Well…stealing a historic state flag, which probably should be displayed in the Heritage Center state museum rather than hidden away in a state office, is not petty theft but an insult to all South Dakota citizens. It is just another example of the “entitlement” Republicans who have spent 50 uninterrupted years in power. Time for a change.
Vargo brings a glimmer of hope of having competent folks in Pierre. Generations overdue.
Chad Mosteller seems a good pick for the job. Recently, I called the DCI re: the lengthy time it’s taking for we “The People” to learn any news about the May 3o, ’22 shooting of a Rapid City woman driving slowly home to her house-it appeared she was shot right by her house, by 2 Rapid City policemen. To this day, 2 1/1 months later, still NO word about the woman’s medical condition, whether alive or dead or incarcerated or whatever?! 30 days are the standard applied to DCI investigations, but???!! My discussion with Mosteller was candid, he was forthright I feel and said it was now in the hands of the Minnehaha Co state’s attorney to determine charges, if any, onto the police. I presume, because Vargo (Co State’s Attorney of Penn Co) was chosen by Noem to be State AG after Ravsnborg got his comeuppance for stiffing “We the People”during this time period.
How long we wait now for the state to shine some badly needed light on this matter, I wonder. ‘Sanitization’ is usually best done in daylight, but overall. since Noem drank trump’s Koolaid, SD govt has tried going “dark” too often.
For what it is worth Marty Jackley apparently was the AG when Garrett DeVries was prosecuted, convicted (he reportedly plead guilty to a class1 misdemeanor) and sentenced to 30 days in jail (suspended subject to compliance with his probation conditions), and fined for his crime.
BCB-seems like a slight slap on the wrists because he was one of the “up and coming bright stars in the state GOP ranks who got caught with his mitts in the cookie jar.
As western South Dakota braces for the Sturgis Classic a cynical observer might suspect DCI will arrest a few token lawbreakers to lend some credibility to an office that kowtows to a Snow Queen pumped full of Botox and itchin’ for press.
Freedom is, of course, just another word for nothing left to bruise.
My good friend Lar is righter than right. This Rally will be festering with storm troopers and thugs with badges, reigning all sorts of misery on good, fun-loving folks. Mr. Vargo, and his puppet-mistress, will need to show some teeth.
grudznick approves, for I have a neighbor that rents out his house to an entire squadron of rabble rousers and I’m going to call them in daily if they don’t keep the noise down.
I do mean “reigning”, not “raining.” Just to clarify.
Well..Grudz..I don’t think you should be surprised that motorcycle enthusiasts on a ten day bender of booze, meth, and qauludes make inappropriate noises at 4 AM…remember, they are also making a valuable contribution to our free enterprise economy (number 1 in the nation) with their purchases of Myers 101, Crystal Blue Persuasion, and Buelah Blue. They buy a lot of Judas Priest and Motorhead cds to lull you to sleep and have an eye out for negotiable women and girls. Our Department of Tourism spends millions to bring these folks to your neighborhood….be more appreciative.
They can do it elsewhere, Mr. Blundt. That’s why I’m an enigma. I want their noise in your back yard, but the money going to benefit my personal profit makers.
Besides, you forget: grudznick sides with young Ms. Howard. We need fewer tourists in the Black Hills. Less people. We should advertise things that chase people away, if I had my say in the tourism ads.
GO AWAY, YOU WON’T LIKE IT HERE
That’s why I like the out-of-state name-callers message. They just can’t get it out enough through this platform.
Grudz..when I lived in the hills, I felt the same way…couldn’t wait for Labor Day when we could get the hills back. Republicans see the black hills as a sales tax and ore tax cash cow and have never been particularly sensitive to the needs and desires of the natives. They will put the hills through a rock crusher and turn it into a tacky Disneyland…the annual buffalo “round up”,slaughter, and booze swilling in Custer State Park is just their speed.
You guys get off topic too easily.
DeVries’s corruption was small potatoes compared to Noem’s, but it was akin. Another correspondent was thinking along 96 his lines and wondering whether the new AG would look into the state plane use and the nepotism in the real estate appraiser process. The previous attorney general allegedly looked into those matters and then handed them over to the government accountability board, which is still considering those matters. Does the fact that that board is still actively considering those ethics complaints somehow tie the new attorney general’s hands from picking up those investigations again before the GAB has disposed of those complaints?
Cory, I don’t think there is any legal or ethical impediment to the AG conducting an independent investigation while the GAB proceedings are ongoing. But unless there is a statute of limitations issue requiring the AG to move forward now it seems to make sense for the AG to await the conclusion of the GAB inquiry as their investigation results could both assist the AG and avoid wasteful duplication by the AG’s office.