Becky Shay, the beleaguered spokesperson for the American Private Police Force who as recently as last week was a true believer in her company and its felon leader, never received a paycheck for her work and is now gunning for a job as the chief of the Hardin, MT, agency that made the jail deal with APPF in the first place.

The AP reported Friday, in an article that refers to APPF's Michael Hilton as a "con artist":

Yet [Hilton has] struggled to keep up with far smaller financial obligations, such as $1,000 debt to a Hardin bed and breakfast where he and several associates stayed for several days in September. Hilton said he was "transferring money from one account to another account" to pay off the debt.

Such promises appear to be stacking up too quickly for Hilton's Montana spokeswoman, Becky Shay, who is now seeking [Greg] Smith's former post at the Two Rivers Authority after failing to receive a paycheck from Hilton after three weeks on the job.

Shay quit her job as a reporter covering Hardin for the Billings Gazette Sept. 25, when Hilton offered her $60,000 a year and a company car. After the Mercedes SUV she was using courtesy of Hilton was reclaimed this week by Mafi, Hilton's former business partner, Shay was back in her old car -- a 1999 Dodge Intrepid with balding tires.

Greg Smith was the head of the TRA who resigned -- for reasons that have never been publicly explained -- after brokering the deal for APPF to run Hardin's jail.

Shay, for her part, told TPMmuckraker earlier this week that she had been compensated for her work.

She previously said was "at a great point in my life" and that, working for APPF "there's been stress, but a lot of fun."