HOUSTON – One Houston Public Works employee has been relieved of duty; and another has resigned as an investigation into wrongdoing continues.
The investigation, which began on Nov. 7, was to uncover the extent of alleged employee wrongdoing in the emergency contracting process.
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Houston Public Works employee Patrece Lee was relieved of duty this week. She was exposed by KPRC 2 Investigates for directing contracts to family members. One of her supervisors at the water department, Venus Price, was allowed to resign.
“Let me be very clear. No one is exempt from the ongoing investigations. We are turning over every rock, and OIG is conducting extensive inquiries,” said Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock. “Our goal is to focus on rooting out the bad actors while working to rebuild eroded public trust.”
Haddock is now asking the public and Houston-based contractors to report any suspected fraud by calling the City Controllers Fraud Hotline at 832.393.3542 or by completing the Fraud, Waste, or Abuse form (click here.)
RELATED: KPRC 2 Investigates ‘DRAINED’ series
Houston Public Works says it is working along with the Inspector General to uncover the extent of alleged employee wrongdoing in the emergency contracting process.
KPRC 2 Investigates first told you about tens of millions of dollars the City of Houston approved for waterline repairs that were funneled to fake companies owned by relatives and friends of water department employees.
The KPRC 2 Investigates team will not stop our ‘DRAINED’ Investigation until we get better answers for you. Email Investigator Amy Davis and Producer Andrea Slaydon if you need help. You can also look through the many ‘DRAINED’ stories we have done to see if you can find the help you need there.