Tilley Business Partner Testifies Before Federal Grand Jury

KMBC's Michael Mahoney:

Jefferson City lobbyist Travis Brown testified for about [40] minutes today before a federal grand jury investigating how the Missouri Legislature does business, according to Brown’s attorney Steve Hill.

Hill says Brown talked to grand jury for “about 40 minutes”. Brown made no comment to reporters after his testimony and left [the] Federal Courthouse quickly, escorted by his lawyer.

Brown is believed to have been the lobbyists for a group of adult business in 2006.

Brown has a number of high-profile lobbying clients in Jefferson City, including conservative financier Rex Sinquefield.  Brown is also a business partner with House Majority Leader Steve Tilley (R-Perryville). The pair own in Mid Missouri Aviation LLC, a "Columbia-based company that owns a six-seat turboprop plane." 

An anonymous "Dear Colleagues" letter printed in December by The Star focused on the many connections between Tilley and Rod Jetton, the focus of the grand jury investigation. From that letter:

Our Missouri Republican House is full of hard-working, industrious legislators who are doing their best for Missouri.

But our attempts to build a better and stronger party are being held back by the waste and greed of select individuals who have directed the party's resources to advance their own agendas. It began with Rod Jetton, and continues today with Steve Tilley...

Speaker Jetton has blurred the lines between lobbying and consulting, deservedly attracting negative attention that unfortunately has fallen on our party as a whole. We owe each other loyalty but we should not allow our trust to be abused. It is our responsibility to disavow these actions, as well as the manner in which they continue today through the HRCC...

Through their multiple political connections, Tilley and Jetton are inexorably connected. After Jetton left the HRCC, his leadership committee was given a jump-start of $15,922.00 by a PAC connected to Tilley. Tilley has directly employed Jetton's consulting services, and their indirect relationships are too numerous to count here. Through them, Tilley has been linked to many of the same controversies that have embroiled Jetton.

Emphasis added. Also note that Tilley's current legislative director used to be a top Jetton staffer.

As Star columnist Barb Shelly wrote in January, "Jetton's thumbprints will never be removed from House business as long as his team remains in charge."