Black Hills lawmaker cooperating with state as deadline for repayment of $600K in state funds passes
Governor's Office, Attorney General won't say if deal has been struck
The South Dakota lawmaker whose business took more than a half-million worth of daycare assistance grants from the state despite a constitutional prohibition has not met a Monday deadline to repay the funds.
However, Sen. Jessica Castleberry is working with state authorities to resolve the violations highlighted by Gov. Kristi Noem raised up in late July, before Attorney General Marty Jackley demanded the $603,000 “Little Nest Child Care” received be returned by 1 p.m. on Aug 7.
Attorney General Marty Jackley told The Dakota Scout Monday that Castleberry is cooperating with the state to resolve the violations
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“The Attorney General’s Office continues to receive and review documents related to this issue,” he said. “We are still awaiting documents from the State Department of Social Services. Senator Castleberry and the State Department of Social Services have been cooperating with this office.”
A joint release from Jackley and Governor Noem’s office late last month alleged that Castleberry had illegally taken federal relief funds that were being distributed by a state program. In a letter to Castleberry, Jackley told the third-term lawmaker that she had until Monday to return the funds or reach an agreement with the Department of Social Services.
Neither the governor’s office nor Jackley would say whether an agreement had been reached ahead of the 1 p.m. deadline. The Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on the nature of the documents under review.
Ian Fury, the governor’s spokesman, referred all questions to the Attorney General’s Office.
Castleberry has served in the legislature since 2019 after being appointed by Noem. Sources confirmed to The Dakota Scout last week that she will not be seeking reelection in 2024.
Castleberry did not respond to a request for comment.
Speaking of questionable application for and acceptance of Covid-19 relief money, whatever became of the investigation into state senator Gary Cammack's son's taxidermy business. From all reported indicators, it appeared that Chris Cammack's business was in Texas, lock, stock and barrel, yet he received $709,000 in state coronavirus relief funds–-and $300,000 in forgivable federal PPP loans to keep 10 people employed in a South Dakota barn. In legislative testimony on another subject, Chris Cammack admitted that his business was in Texas. A SD Newswatch article from October, 2021: "Cammack told the committee that his South Dakota taxidermy business 'outgrew'the Union Center location and that he and his wife were doing so much taxidermy work in Texas that 'we ended up purchasing a taxidermy shop in Houston, Texas, which is where we reside, where our home mostly is now,' according to an archived tape of the hearing. Cammack added: 'I still own cattle, I still own land in South Dakota, I still come back to South Dakota every chance I get, but work calls me to Texas.'" So maybe SD's attorney general or Bureau of Finance and Management or governor can bring us up to speed on that. $709,000 + $600,000 = $1,300,000. With that we could advertise on the side of the worst car in NASCAR 20 more races.
Looks like she got appointed to a state senate position which has a very small compensation, and in return, lost access to monies to fund her business. I can imagine she would have resigned the senate seat had she been well-informed of the situation.