HOUSTON – City of Houston’s Office of Inspector General completes its investigation into Houston Airports System Director and a program director within HAS four months after a complaint was filed.
The OIG completed its investigation earlier this month, according to a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.
The complaints claiming sexual harassment and retaliation was made by a former employee and directed at HAS Director Mario Diaz and Harmony in the Air Director Maricela Kruseman.
Houston employment attorney, Joe Ahmad, was one of those who highlighted problems with the relationship.
“There are repeated failures here,” said Ahmad.
Council Member Michael Kubosh didn’t hold back when he recently spoke with KPRC 2 Investigates, “I’m calling for the resignation of Mario Diaz our Airport Director”
During our investigation, Diaz never once addressed our questions directly surrounding the complaint or his relationship with Kruseman.
KPRC 2 Investigates first reported the relationship in December of 2021 after a former employee came forward in September to the OIG with claims Kruseman sexually harassed him and with Diaz retaliating after the complaint was made.
Council Member Amy Peck made it very clear in her interview with KPRC 2 Investigates, “It is very important for the city to get to the bottom of what actually happened.”
On Monday, a spokesperson with the mayor’s office confirmed the completion of OIG’s investigation .
The employee did not know it finished until we contacted him.
The outcome of the investigation has not been disclosed but Kubosh admitted change is needed after it was revealed.
“You can’t have relationships with subordinates when you are a director of an airport or any department with the City of Houston,” Kubosh said.
An airport spokesperson on Monday said there have been no changes involving Diaz or Kruseman.
Steve Kardell, the attorney for the former employee, sent the following statement to KPRC 2 Investigates Monday evening:
“We have reason to believe that the City of Houston has likely disclosed confidential information to certain representatives of the local media, dealing with the OIG’s superficial investigation of the sexual harassment and retaliation issues that we believe have been given little attention.
To the effect that their investigation of Director Diaz and Ms. Kruseman has been concluded, it is unprecedented for any legitimate investigative agency, such as OIG, to conclude an investigation without any effort to obtain testimony from all first-hand witnesses.
We have personal knowledge that at least one and possibly more current and former employees of Houston Airports had requested that they be interviewed and allowed to provide key evidence of a pattern of illegal conduct here and were never interviewed nor were they allowed to provide key documentation.
To compound the optics of this situation, during the pendency of this investigation Mayor Turner was seen publicly hugging Ms. Kruseman at an Airport event.
Significantly, Director Diaz and Ms. Kruseman continue to flaunt their relationship in a public manner. This is obviously a move calculated to intimidate and prevent any additional witnesses from coming forward.
If not intentional, the degree of recklessness utilized here demonstrates that the handling of this matter has been incredibly provocative as well as legally intimidating and retaliatory.”
Kardell said he plans on asking the city’s OIG for the findings of its investigation.
The former employee claims there has not been any follow-up conversations by OIG investigators since September, when the complaint was filed.
Related stories:
