Federal subpoena reveals one focus of Kansas City FBI probe
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Subpoena sought contracts, payments, communications tied to Anton Washington.
- FBI interviewed former city employees about contracts and campaign donations.
- Subpoena covered Dec. 1, 2018–Aug. 19, 2025 and demanded records for a grand jury.
Federal prosecutors last year subpoenaed Kansas City for contracts between City Hall and the leader of a local nonprofit that works to combat homelessness, a revelation that confirms a key focus of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Kansas City provided a copy of the subpoena to The Star Thursday afternoon after The Star’s attorney demanded its release. The city had previously denied The Star’s public records request for a copy.
Thursday’s release marks the first public disclosure and documented confirmation of a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe that has roiled Kansas City politics over the last month.
The subpoena, sent Aug. 20, 2025, sought a slew of records related to contracts between Kansas City and Anton Washington, the leader of Creative Innovative, a nonprofit that has worked with the city on programs designed to combat homelessness.
Washington, reached by phone on Thursday, confirmed that he had been interviewed by the FBI and broadly denied any wrongdoing tied to the subpoena. He said the fact that he and his organization were named in the subpoena was upsetting, touting work he has done in the community.
Washington said his work for the city provides “nothing but hope for those who need it.”
The subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office demanded the city provide those records to a grand jury with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri by Sept. 9, 2025. Prosecutors asked the city to contact an FBI agent to comply with the subpoena.
The federal subpoena covered records from Dec. 1, 2018, to Aug. 19, 2025. In addition to copies of contracts, it requested records of payments, communications and applications between city officials and Washington.
The release of the subpoena comes as speculation about a federal investigation has ratcheted up within City Hall over the last year.
Throughout the last month, The Star spoke with three former city employees who were interviewed by the FBI. 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 questions 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 a recent 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. While the exact focus of the FBI probe remains unclear, records reviewed by The Star show that Shaw signed several city contracts with Washington as public works director.
Washington has also taken to social media on multiple occasions in recent weeks to express support for Parks-Shaw.
Parks-Shaw did not immediately return a call for comment on Thursday. A city spokesperson, in an email to The Star Thursday evening, said the city had complied with the state’s open records law by releasing the subpoena.
“The City Manager will not make further comment regarding any external investigations that may be ongoing,” said spokesperson Sherae Honeycutt.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 7:06 PM.
