Kansas City confirms criminal investigation as FBI probe shakes City Hall
Kansas City this week confirmed the existence of a criminal investigation as City Hall grapples with speculation and fallout from revelations of a federal probe.
The city’s legal department confirmed the investigation in an email to The Star this week, a striking acknowledgement that the probe remains ongoing.
The email was in response to The Star’s request for copies of a federal grand jury subpoena the city received and any related documents. City Manager Mario Vasquez told a TV station last week that the city received the subpoena six months ago.
The city denied the request, referencing two state laws as justification for its decision. Part of the city’s reasoning centered on the criminal investigation, according to the email, which was signed by “Public Records Coordinator.”
“The requested records are closed pursuant to RSMo. Secs. 610.100.3 and 610.021(14) as they pertain to records which, if disclosed, could jeopardize a criminal investigation,” the email said.
The email marks Kansas City’s first official confirmation of an ongoing investigation after Vasquez’s comments on TV last week. Over the past week, top city officials have refused to answer basic questions about the probe that has upended local politics.
A spokesperson for Vasquez on Thursday declined to weigh in on the email. A spokesperson for Mayor Quinton Lucas, who expressed surprise at news of the investigation last week, did not respond to a request for comment.
The city’s confirmation comes as whispers about federal investigators have echoed through City Hall for the past year. Over the last month, The Star spoke with three former city employees who were interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Those employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution, described being asked a wide range of questions about government contracts and campaign donations.
One focus of the probe centered on Mayor pro tem Ryana Parks-Shaw and her husband, Michael Shaw, the city’s director of public works, the sources said. That element of the investigation was the focus of last week’s TV report, which tied the inquiry to whether the couple used their authority for financial and professional gain.
But the sources who spoke with The Star also detailed a host of other questions from the FBI, a sign that the exact target of the investigation is unclear.
While the city’s email confirmed the existence of an investigation, it did not provide any additional information about the probe.
