While the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) was doling out thousands in state and federal funds to a new company to disinfect the jails during the COVID-19 pandemic, that same company was pushing funds into Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway's political campaign.
On Aug. 6, 2020, the Jefferson County Commission (JCC) authorized Pettway to access federal Coronavirus Relief Funds to cover the cost of disinfecting correctional facilities, not to exceed $254,000.
That illustrative task was assigned to a company called HeartOne Health and Safety LLC, which had been created less than two months earlier. The founder of HeartOne is Sebastian Carrillo, a current JCSO employee who is under indictment by the attorney general's office for first-degree theft by deception. Prosecutors allege he received $20,415 in PPP loans under false pretenses.
HeartOne was formed as an LLC in the state and received the Secretary of State's signature on May 4, 2020. The business's address is Carrillo's home address listed on his driver's license.
Less than a month after forming HeartOne, Carrillo, who was at the time the Battalion Chief for Birmingham Fire and Rescue, submitted his newly formed business for consideration to disinfect the jail.
At the Aug. 6 meeting where the contract was presented before the JCC, the county rejected a bid from Cintas to disinfect the jail, stating that Heart One was cheaper and that "HeartOne is used in other Sheriff's facilities and has been vetted over time and with experience."
The contract states that HeartOne's work was to begin on Jul. 1, 2020, and run through the end of the year. That would make HeartOne approximately 57 days old when it began its work.
It is still unclear where the business located at Carrillo's house gained the alleged "time and experience" needed for vetting, or where, in any other Sheriff's office facilities, HeartOne operated.
The contract also stated that HeartOne's price of $254,400 over five monthly installments was lower than Cintas's quote of $22,500 per service.
In December 2020, the JCC approved a three-year contract with HeartOne to be used sporadically "because exposure to harmful viruses and/or bacteria, which includes COVID-19, is sporadic."
1819 News also acquired a contract extension between HeartOne and the JCSO in August 2022. The document, signed by Carrillo and Pettway, agreed to an increase in the monthly payment to $60,000. 1819 News was unable to locate documents detailing any work HeartOne performed in any capacity.
It's around this time that Carrillo's HeartOne began putting funds into Pettway's political campaign.
HeartOne donated $15,000 directly to Pettway's political campaign in November 2021. However, one month after signing the contract with Pettway, Carrillo began giving tens of thousands to an entity called SPEED PAC, which subsequently donated to Pettway's campaign.
According to public documents, HeartOne gave SPEED PAC $40,000 in September 2022. That same month, SPEED PAC gave Pettway's campaign $45,000.
The following month, HeartOne gave SPEED PAC $60,000. That same month, SPEED PAC gave Pettway's campaign $80,000.
SPEED PAC has since dissolved after the death of its founder, former state Senator John Teague. Teague served six months in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2002 to underpayment of federal income taxes. He was reportedly indicted along with former state Transportation Director Jimmy Butts and lobbyist Johnny Moore after an investigation of state transportation grants.
Internal communications make it unclear whether the county was being reimbursed for payments to HeartOne. In July 2021, a service order for over $176,000 was requested and approved by Pettway. Pettway is also the one who signed the check for HeartOne.
Other internal documents show county officials confused about payment requests for HeartOne, with a memo stating Jefferson County had a contract with Cintas.
The total payments to HeartOne are sporadic and unclear. However, the last payment authorization request submitted by HeartOne and signed for by Pettway was on Feb. 9, 2023, less than three months after Carillo left the fire department. Records do not state when JCSO hired Carrillo.
Altogether, the available payments made to HeartOne total at least $700,000 and possibly as much as $1 million, according to internal documents and communications that show significant confusion among Jefferson County personnel regarding the payments.
An internal JCSO memo from October 2021 also includes complaints against HeartOne workers, who were allegedly supposed to come three times a week but did not. The complaint also alleges that the workers said, "they get paid whether they spray or not", and "they get paid the same if they spray for 4 hours or one."
1819 News also obtained an internal sign-in sheet, showing repeated dates where HeartOne did not disinfect the facility.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
