Bulletin: NIC official arrested in alleged grants-for-sex scheme

Coeur d’Alene Police detectives today arrested North Idaho College's director of financial aid on suspicion of five felonies: Attempted misuse of public funds, attempted procurement of prostitution, burglary, using a computer in a scheme to defraud, and bribery.

Joseph M. Bekken, 36, of Coeur d' Alene, was taken into custody after a joint investigation between Coeur d' Alene Police, FBI, North Idaho College, and the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office.

On Feb. 2, NIC School Resource Officer Gus Wessel was alerted by the FBI about a post on Craigslist in the casual encounters section. The post talked about a proposition for NIC students. The proposition was for grant money in exchange for sexual favors.

After a three-week investigation, it was determined the poster of the ads on Craigslist was Bekken. Bekken is in custody at the Kootenai County Public Safety Building. The incident remains under investigation.

For more on this story, see tomorrow's Coeur d'Alene Press.