Lawsuit: Ex-worker started Grand Junction probe

An attorney for a fired security coordinator at the Grand Junction airport says his client touched off a federal investigation into the airport authority.

The Daily Sentinel reports that Donna VanLandingham says she spoke with FBI agents after she was fired in 2011 about what she believed was evidence of wide-ranging fraud. In a federal lawsuit, she claims she was forced out because she threatened to expose wrongdoings by airport leadership.

In court filings, attorney John Steel says she was “discharged solely because of her refusal to cover-up and lie to shield her supervisor.”

FBI spokeswoman Suzie Payne declined to comment.

The FBI has only said that its probe concerns allegations of fraud. Agents searched airport offices and seized financial documents in November. No arrests have been made.