(Mark Pingsterhaus shaking hands with then FBI Director Christopher Wray, heralding Pingsterhaus completing the FBI Academy. Pingsterhaus later was suspended amidst an FBI investigation. (City of Carlyle Facebook page. Photo from June 9, 2023, )
A search warrant executed by the FBI shows the target of a federal criminal investigation of former Carlyle Police Chief Mark Pingsterhaus, whose department also leased office space inside the police station to an FBI-led task force operating in Southern Illinois.
The FBI is investigating Pingsterhaus, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, for possible wire fraud and theft of federal funds. No criminal charges have been filed. Pingsterhaus resigned in December.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Reona J. Daly signed the warrant November 12th. It sought financial records from Pingsterhaus’ police department office, including cash, receipts, ledgers, and lease agreements tied to expenses paid with city funds, along with records of checks, credit cards, gift cards, and petty cash. The warrant also sought items suggesting a personal relationship or travel with an individual whose name was redacted by Carlyle City Administrator Brad Myers; reports indicate that the person is a public official in a neighboring county.
Investigators requested department expense records dating back to 2012, when Pingsterhaus became chief, and sought payroll, leave, and travel reimbursement records starting in 2024. A subpoena issued six days later sought Pingsterhaus’ personnel file.
Pingsterhaus had signed a 2021 lease allowing the FBI’s Southern Illinois Transnational Organized Crime West Task Force to operate from the Carlyle police station. Under the agreement, the federal government would pay up to $180,000 in renovations and $3,750 per month in rent. The task force focuses on drug trafficking and other crimes, including public corruption, and receives assistance from agencies such as the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations.
The warrant became public only after a delay tied to Freedom of Information Act requests. After the city acknowledged a federal investigation on Facebook, news organizations requested the warrant in November. Myers initially denied access and later said the city did not have it, but ultimately produced a copy more than two months later, after the organizations sought review by the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor.
Personnel records released by the city included a November 25th letter from Mayor Judy Smith stating she intended to remove Pingsterhaus “due to the allegations and your admissions of wrongdoing,” without specifying what he admitted to. Pingsterhaus resigned December 1st from his $115,000-a-year job and later withdrew from the Republican primary for Clinton County Sheriff. Earlier this month, Jason Herzing was named the new police chief with a $100,000 annual salary.