A 14-year veteran of the Missouri Department of Corrections has been chosen as State Employee of the Month for August.
Mike McGill is an investigator at the Southeast Correctional Center (SECC) in Sikeston.
He was nominated by Deputy SECC Warden William Strange, who said McGill developed intelligence through the offender telephone system that prisoners at SECC were conspiring with a federal parolee in Iowa to commit check fraud.
By monitoring these phone calls, reviewing correspondence, identifying those involved from aliases and reviewing bank transactions, McGill was able to uncover a "significant" operation, Strange said.
"The federal parolee has a multi-state and federal criminal history involving charges of forging instruments, forgery, mail theft, bank fraud and identity theft," Strange said. "During the course of the investigation, he (McGill) uncovered the purchase of the equipment and software being utilized by the parolee, instruction provided to her via telephone by the prisoners at SECC and locations she sought to cash checks. The parolee would cash the counterfeit currency in Iowa and deposit the money in the prisoners' accounts in Missouri."
McGill also learned the parolee was using methamphetamine.
"Mr. McGill provided Iowa authorities and federal probation officers with results of his investigation which led to a visit of the home of the parolee," Strange said. "A search warrant was obtained and authorities confiscated credit cards, check writing software, a computer and hard drives. This led to the arrest of the parolee."
Strange said it was "Mr. McGill's attention to detail, diligence, verification of information and a willingness to work with authorities across state lines that allowed him to prevent further victimization by the parolee and the prisoners at SECC."