Historical South Dakota Frauds
It’s time to stop looking the other way.
Why are SD state employees “concerned for their safety” to whistleblow in South Dakota?
Richard Benda
EB-5 Scandal
Job: Assorted high finance and development projects
Age: 59
Investigator: Marty Jackley
Summary of Story: Richard Benda, a well-liked man with a long history of getting development projects across the finish line gets hired as a loan officer for EB-5 funded “Northern Beef Packers.” Like most of these corporate welfare projects funded by unsuspecting foreigners, it goes down in flames. He is friends with Joop Bollen who was also involved in the project. Russ Olson hires Benda for a Madison development job a month before Benda dies. Benda apparently single-handedly perpetrated the convoluted fraud, but it was his friend Joop Bollen that “found” and paid back the missing money.
Investigation Conclusion: “Suicide by shotgun blast to the stomach with a gun too long to reach the trigger so he used a stick.”
“This is just too much, simply too much to go to the polling booth not knowing, not knowing what really happened.” ~ Patrick Duffy, Attorney investigating 2014 EB-5 Scandal.
Westerhuis Family Platte, SD
Mid-Central Scandal
Job: Business Manager for Mid-Central Educational Cooperative
Age: 41
Investigator: Marty Jackley
Summary of Story: Scott Westerhuis, a man with no history of violence, and wife Nicole single-handedly perpetrated a convoluted fraud in the Dept. of Education. Starts spending alot of money. Not on hookers and blow, but every redneck with money dream of a huge shed filled with cool toys. Invites the whole community over to play with them, so he was well liked.
Investigative Conclusion: “Suicide by going berserk because of stress of the fraud, gunning down whole family in cold blood for no apparent reason, burning his nice house down and blowing his brains out.”
Renae Randall
SDRS/SDIC Whistleblower Scandal
Job: Senior Investment Manager at SDIC
Age: 51
AG: Marty Jackley
Summary of Story: After finding a material error in the most important valuation model in the office, a series of collapses in internal controls leads to Renae being fired for whistleblowing. The SDIC board refuses to speak with her, and sends her an NDA. When she refuses to sign, she is brutally cyberattacked and terrorized. All her electronic communications are inconsistent and she has doubts a 911 call would connect if needed.
Investigative Summary: No investigation yet, but still alive so far.
No disrespect to the deceased intended. Only the blunt truth Renae thought a lot about during the darkest of days for her. The truth is never disrespectful, believing lies always is. No one regrets “looking the other way” and not asking more questions about these very questionable investigations more than Renae does.
We have multiple South Dakota Whistleblowers in several agencies and even regular citizens being terrorized coming forward. And no one in the South Dakota government or media thinks that is something to ask a question about? Interesting.
