TLP:CLEAR

Collection Gaps and Phased Investigation Roadmap

Sandpoint / Bonner County Developer Influence Investigation

This document consolidates all known collection gaps from the investigation's working files, organizes them into actionable phases, and identifies what has been completed, what is in progress, and what remains. The goal is to maintain investigation momentum and prevent the engagement from losing focus.

Analytical Caveats and Disclaimers

All inferences in this investigation are analytical opinions based on patterns observed in public records. They are clearly denoted as inferences (not facts) wherever they appear. Inferred connections on the Investigation Board are shown as dashed lines and labeled "INFERRED" with the analytical reasoning documented.

Verified findings are supported by cited public records (Secretary of State filings, court documents, campaign finance disclosures, government meeting minutes, county assessor/recorder data, and news reporting). Each verified connection cites its source.

This investigation uses only publicly available information. No private databases, subscription services, or unauthorized access methods were used. All findings can be independently verified by any citizen or journalist using the same public sources. Nothing in this report should be construed as an allegation of criminal activity or legal wrongdoing; patterns are documented for public awareness and further inquiry.

Investigation Status Summary

2
Phases Complete
1
Phase In Progress
4
Phases Remaining
58
Open Collection Gaps
5
Entity Profiles Needed
3
Time-Sensitive Items

Phase 1: Initial Collection (Complete)

1
Source Inventory and Meeting Minutes Sweep
Complete
Identified 16+ developer entities, 7 government officials with potential conflicts, and major projects across Sandpoint and Bonner County. Collected city council, P&Z, and BOCC meeting minutes (2020-2026). Produced initial source inventory and entity catalog.
DeliverableStatus
Source inventory with 16 developer entitiesDone
Meeting minutes keyword sweep (PUD, rezone, annex, variance)Done
Initial entity identificationDone
Vote tally extraction and pattern analysisDone
News article collection (Spokesman-Review, Daily Bee, Reader)Done

Phase 2: Entity Research and Financial Intelligence (Complete)

2
Entity Profiles, Court Records, Campaign Finance, Legal/Environmental
Complete
Completed Track A (news deep dive), Track B (entity profiles), Track C (financial intelligence), Track D (legal/environmental analysis), out-of-state entity research, court records analysis, and initial campaign finance collection from Idaho Sunshine portal.
DeliverableStatus
Entity profiles for all 16+ entitiesDone (draft)
Out-of-state entity chains (MT, AZ, FL, IN, CA)Done (partial)
Court records analysis (7 cases)Done
Campaign finance initial extraction (Sunshine)Done (partial)
Legal/environmental analysis (7 issues)Done
Averill Hospitality deep-dive appendixDone
Investigation Board (interactive knowledge graph)Done
Executive BriefingDone

Phase 3: Records Automation and Entity Verification (Next)

3
Direct Portal Searches via Browser Automation
Up Next
The Idaho SOS portal (sosbiz.idaho.gov) is a single-page application that requires browser automation (Playwright) for direct queries. Out-of-state SOS portals also need direct access. This phase closes the entity verification gaps that indirect sources cannot fill.
GapSourcePriority
Idaho SOS direct searches for all 16 target entities sosbiz.idaho.gov Critical
Registered agent reverse searches for 12 principals sosbiz.idaho.gov Critical
Bridge Street LLC principal identification sosbiz.idaho.gov High
Lochlyn Estates LLC principal identification sosbiz.idaho.gov High
Tricore Investments LLC principal identification sosbiz.idaho.gov High
Montana SOS: all Averill entities, Edgewater Partners biz.sosmt.gov High
Arizona Corp Commission: M3 Companies, Valiant Idaho (R22325246) ecorp.azcc.gov High
Florida Sunbiz: Haberman officer search, DGH Thistle, Valiant entities search.sunbiz.org High
Indiana SOS: Ambrose Property Group (Project Bulldog) bsd.sos.in.gov Medium
California SOS: Williams Homes Inc. (RCE-51476), subsidiaries bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov Medium
Valiant Idaho II LLC: confirm existence and relationship to Valiant Idaho Multiple portals Medium
"DGH" in DGH Thistle: identify initials, partner names, holding entity FL/NC SOS Low

Phase 4: Property and Financial Records (Planned)

4
County Records, Campaign Finance Deep Extraction, SURA Analysis
Planned
Cross-reference all entity and principal names against Bonner County property records. Complete campaign finance extraction from Sunshine portal. Analyze Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency (SURA) financials to determine which developers benefited from TIF-funded infrastructure.
GapSourcePriority
Bonner County Assessor bulk data download for all entities bonnercountyid.gov/AssessorDataFiles Critical
Bonner County Recorder deed searches (2019-2026) erecorderpublic.bonnercountyid.gov Critical
Property Search portal: owner name searches for 16 entities cloudgisapps.bonnercountyid.gov High
Sunshine portal: itemized contribution records for all Sandpoint/Bonner candidates (2020-2025) sunshine.sos.idaho.gov Critical
Sunshine portal: contributor searches for all 12 developer principals sunshine.sos.idaho.gov Critical
PAC research: any PACs with "Bonner," "Sandpoint," "growth," or "development" sunshine.sos.idaho.gov High
SURA Annual Reports (2022-2024) and Financial Statements sandpointidaho.gov High
City of Sandpoint Financial Statements FY2024 sandpointidaho.gov (media/12466) Medium
FEC/OpenSecrets federal contributions by developer principals fec.gov / opensecrets.org Medium
"Take Back Idaho" PAC and 501(c)(4) dark money group activity in Bonner County sunshine.sos.idaho.gov Medium

Phase 5: Legal and Court Records (Planned)

5
PACER, State Court, and Regulatory Records
Planned
Access federal and state court records for active litigation. Monitor time-sensitive matters including the Mountain Homestead state court refiling window and North Branch seasonal conditions.
GapSourcePriority
Idaho Club federal lawsuit: exact PACER docket number, full PI denial order PACER High
Idaho Club: merits briefing schedule and trial date PACER High
Idaho Club: ESA Section 7 re-consultation status USFWS Medium
Mountain Homestead: monitor state court refiling (30-day window from April 16 = May 16, 2026) Idaho state courts Time-Sensitive
Mountain Homestead: federal dismissal order text PACER Medium
Mountain Homestead: any Idaho DEQ or EPA enforcement actions DEQ / EPA ECHO High
WWTP: EPA administrative settlement agreement text EPA Medium
WWTP: DEQ audit report (July 2024), current NPDES permit status DEQ Medium
Selle Valley rezone: exact state court case number, appeal status Idaho state courts Low
Camp Bay/M3: public access pathway completion by Feb 2025 deadline Bonner County records Medium
AG investigation: full text of investigation report and Open Meeting Law violation Idaho AG Low
Whether North Branch reaches dry conditions by August 2026 Field observation / USGS Time-Sensitive

Phase 6: Entity Deep-Dive Appendices (Planned)

6
Additional Entity Profile Deliverables
Planned
Produce entity profile appendices (same format as Averill Hospitality) for the remaining high-priority developer networks. Each profile includes corporate entity tree, property portfolio, influence timeline, key players, and collection gaps.
EntitySignificancePriority
Idaho Club / Valiant Idaho (Haberman) 900-acre development, $70M bankruptcy history, active federal litigation, ESA issues Critical
Mountain Homestead / J&J Development (Marble, Pilch) County officials as developers, contaminated water, RICO suit, felony charges Critical
Dover Bay / Sletager Network Waterfront monopoly formation, 5+ entities, marina control, campaign contributions High
Dual-Role Officials (Grimm, Howarth) Mayor as developer consultant, council member as subdivision developer High
M3 Companies / Camp Bay 407-acre gated subdivision, road vacation, public access fight Medium

Phase 7: HUMINT and Multimedia (Ongoing)

7
Human Intelligence, Audio Processing, and Whitefish Collection
In Progress
Integrate intelligence from local sources (including HUMINT contacts in Sandpoint). Process YouTube audio from city council and BOCC meeting recordings. Expand geographic scope to Whitefish, MT where Averill Hospitality has a documented controversial track record.
GapSourcePriority
YouTube meeting audio downloads (in progress, cookie auth configured) YouTube / yt-dlp High
Whisper transcription of downloaded meeting audio OpenAI Whisper API High
Whitefish, MT city council minutes re: Averill cityofwhitefish.org High
Flathead County planning records re: Averill flathead.mt.gov High
HUMINT source follow-up (background: political science/IR) Direct Medium
Additional local news articles requiring paywall bypass or direct access Daily Inter Lake, Bonner County Daily Bee Low

Time-Sensitive Items

Deadlines and Time-Dependent Collection

May 16, 2026: Mountain Homestead state court refiling deadline. The federal RICO case was dismissed April 16, 2026, but seven state-level allegations remain. The 30-day window for state court refiling expires May 16. Monitor Idaho state court filings for Wittwer et al. names.

August 2026 (estimated): Idaho Club North Branch seasonal dry conditions. The Army Corps halt-work order was tied to bull trout habitat in North Branch. If the branch dries out by August, it weakens the environmental protection argument. USGS stream gauge data would be dispositive.

Ongoing: Averill Hospitality condotel plat. Building permits were filed December 29, 2025 to lock in lower impact fees before the January 1, 2026 deadline. Whether a separate condo plat is filed (required for the 27 condos) will determine the next fight. Monitor Sandpoint planning portal for plat applications.

Entity-Specific Open Questions

Idaho Club / Valiant Idaho (Haberman)

Mountain Homestead / J&J Development

Averill Hospitality

Sletager Network / Dover Bay

Campaign Finance (Cross-Cutting)

Investigation Momentum Recommendations

Preventing Engagement Stall
Source Reliability Assessment