× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an inquiry related to the Omaha Public Schools pension fund.

Neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Omaha, OPS officials nor officials with the Omaha School Employees’ Retirement System (OSERS) would confirm the investigation, and its scope is unclear.

In a staff memorandum last month, OSERS provided notice of the DOJ’s “preliminary inquiry,” telling OSERS staff and current and past trustees that they had a legal duty to preserve all records, emails and texts relative to their roles.

“We intend to cooperate with the DOJ in this inquiry and don’t believe that it will lead to anything to be concerned about,” wrote Donald Erikson, an Omaha bank executive who serves as the president of the OSERS trustees. The World-Herald obtained a copy of the memo, which was dated March 1.

The investigation comes in the wake of a World-Herald series exploring the roots of the $771 million shortfall at OSERS, which is forcing OPS to slash its budget to make additional payments to bring the fund back to solvency.