Attorney General's Office reaches decision on Hecht investigation
June 15, 2009 --In a letter delivered to the Shawnee County Commission this morning, the Attorney General's Office summarized the investigation into payments made to former Shawnee County District Attorney Robert Hecht and the outcome of that investigation.
"It is the decision of the Kansas Attorney General's Office to decline to file criminal charges against Mr. Hecht," Deputy Attorney General Barry Disney wrote.
K.S.A. 22-3612, requires the attorney general to "invoke the assistance of the county or district attorney" in appellate work on a criminal case. It also states that: "the reasonable costs of such assistance be allowed and paid by the county commissioners from the county general fund for any services rendered by such county's county or district attorney."
The letter states that: "All crimes reviewed by the Attorney General's Office, such as theft or misuse of public funds, require an unauthorized appropriation of money. That unauthorized element is not present under these facts. Pursuant to K.S.A. 22-3612, Mr. Hecht was authorized to some sort of compensation for work on appeals." Disney concludes that "The ultimate issue is not whether the payments were authorized but rather whether the payments were reasonable." Disney also notes that Shawnee County has filed a civil lawsuit against Mr. Hecht that may resolve that question.