The Kansas Department of Commerce responded Thursday to allegations made publicly by former employee Jonathan Clayton, whose body was apparently found inside a wrecked vehicle earlier this week.
Clayton had accused state officials of awarding grants based on political considerations and asserted he was improperly accused of financial impropriety in handling of grants.
“Clayton’s allegations of wrongdoing by the Department of Commerce related to the awarding of BASE grants, along with his allegation that he was forced to serve on a volunteer theatre board, are categorically false,” the department’s response read.
“The Department of Commerce was not aware of Jonathan Clayton’s felony convictions in Pennsylvania when Clayton was hired in 2020. Under existing Kansas law, we are unable to perform national level criminal background checks for the position that Clayton held.
“Our process for vetting prospective employees included online searches, social media reviews and reference checks, which unfortunately failed to uncover his felony convictions. He would not have been hired by Commerce had we been aware of these convictions.
“While there is no evidence of any impropriety at the Department of Commerce, as an extra precaution, an independent third-party contractor is doing a full review of all ARPA grants.
“Commerce has also requested and is assisting local, state and federal agencies investigating Clayton’s volunteer work with community-based organizations in Kiowa and Marion counties who may be victims of fraud.”
