Sebastian Carrillo, an indicted Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) employee who allegedly funneled money into Sheriff Mark Pettway's political campaign through a company that received state and federal funds, appears not to have fully disclosed the business he used to make the donations in his state ethics filings.
1819 News recently reported on Carrillo's COVID-19 era dealings with the JCSO and the county through his business, HeartOne Health and Safety LLC.
Carrillo, a current JCSO employee who is under indictment this year by the attorney general's office for first-degree theft by deception, began HeartOne in May 2020. Fewer than 60 days later, HeartOne was contracted with the Jefferson County Commission and the JCSO to sanitize the jails.
HeartOne funneled money into Pettway's political campaign, both directly and through a Political Action Committee (PAC).
At the time, Carrillo worked as a battalion chief for Birmingham Fire and Rescue. As a public employee, Carrillo is required to file a yearly statement of economic interest (SEI) with the Alabama Ethics Commission. According to Carrillo's SEI, at some point in 2022, Carrillo switched from being employed with the City of Birmingham to Jefferson County. That same year was when the vast majority of HeartOne's political contributions were made.
HeartOne's contracts and payments began in 2020, and the latest invoice obtained by 1819 News is from February 2023. Meaning, Carillo was, by all accounts, receiving money from the County while being employed by them.
More than that, Carrillo stated in his 2021 and 2022 SEIs that he did not own any businesses, did not serve as an officer, director, trustee, or consultant in a business, and did not engage in a business that provides "medical or health related" services.
It's only in his 2023 filing that he lists an income received from HeartOne. He also reported income from an entity called Boom Boom Entertainment. 2023 is also the only year he reported a spouse for the first time.
Carrillo is listed on HeartOne's formation documents with the Secretary of State, and was the only registered agent until January 2024, long after any publicly available payments were made to HeartOne.
Carrillo's name is also on contracts, invoices, payment requests, IRS Form W-9 tax forms, and more from 2020 to 2023.
Carrillo's income expanded from the "$50,000 to $149,999" bracket in his 2022 filing to over $250,000 in 2023.
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