Prison Board Chairman Target of State Inquiry

Ronald Koenig, the chairman of the state Board of Prison Terms, is under investigation by the state Justice Department, authorities confirmed Monday while refusing to disclose details of the probe.

The investigation was begun Oct. 9 at the request “jointly of the board and Mr. Koenig,” said Kati Corsaut, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Law Enforcement.

“It will be at least a couple more weeks before we wrap anything up,” she added.

Koenig, 51, former sheriff of Tehama County, is California’s highest-ranking parole official, serving as chairman of the nine-member panel that sets release dates for all prisoners sentenced to life terms.

He was not immediately available to answer inquiries, a board secretary told a reporter who called the agency’s offices. He also did not answer several calls to his home in Red Bluff.

Gil Saucedo, executive director of the board, declined to discuss the case.

Gov. George Deukmejian appointed Koenig to the board on July 17. Koenig is awaiting Senate confirmation to the $61,845-a-year position. The Senate has until June 3, 1986, to confirm his appointment.

Corsaut said the Justice Department investigation was separate from routine background checks made of appointees for the governor’s office.

“This is not some kind of a standard background check,” Corsaut said. “This is a specific investigation.”