FBI conducts search at Philadelphia Sheriff's Office

FBI agents conducted a search at the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office today.

Sheriff's office spokesman Joe Blake confirmed that agents were at the department's office at 100 S. Broad St. earlier today.

It wasn't immedatiately clear what agents, who were executing a search warrant, were looking for. 6ABC reports that FBI personnel were seen leaving the building with files and other records.

No one was taken into custody.

FBI spokeswoman Carrie Adamowski said agents were at the site for several hours this morning and afternoon. She wouldn't say why the bureau was at the office.

Sources told 6ABC that the investigation concerned real-estate dealings.

The office's finances have been under scrutiny for years.

Former Sheriff John Green left office in January 2011, amid a forensic audit of the office by the city controller.

Findings of that review, released in November 2011, asserted that two firms took in at least $6.2 million in excess fees over six years, and questioned $135 million in distributions from sheriff sales.

In April, the Nutter administration filed a civil lawsuit against Green, eight other people and five companies. The suit alleged that they improperly diverted millions of dollars from sheriff sales and that "tens of millions of dollars remain unaccounted for."

A federal investigation has also led to multiple guilty pleas in a fraudulent check-writing scheme that drained hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sheriff's office.