She spoke with the FBI. Kansas City fired her days later, lawsuit says
A whistleblower lawsuit filed against Kansas City this week has offered fresh details about a sweeping criminal probe that has upended City Hall over the past year.
The lawsuit, filed by Melissa Kozakiewicz, a former assistant city manager who oversaw city communications, alleges that she was fired last year just days after speaking with two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents about city officials who “steered public contracts to favored vendors” based on race and connections.
“Shortly after her disclosures of wrongdoing by other City officials — including just six days after reporting her concerns to the FBI — Plaintiff was abruptly terminated from her position as Assistant City Manager without cause or explanation,” the lawsuit said.
Kozakiewicz’s lawsuit marks the first time an individual has publicly identified themselves as a source for the FBI’s investigation. The criminal investigation, which dates back at least last August, has roiled City Hall and scrambled the upcoming race for mayor in 2027.
Over the last several months, The Star has spoken with several former city employees who were interviewed as part of the probe. 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, a candidate for mayor, and her husband, Michael Shaw, the city’s director of public works who is retiring, the sources said. A federal grand jury subpoena sent to City Hall last year also sought records from Anton Washington, a nonprofit leader who has contracted with the city to combat homelessness.
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 still unclear.
The allegations regarding the FBI investigation were included in a broader lawsuit Kozakiewicz filed against the city and City Auditor Marc Shaw. The suit alleges she faced discrimination and retaliation.
Inside the FBI probe
The lawsuit is short on specific allegations related to the FBI probe. It broadly alleges that Kozakiewicz disclosed “numerous violations of the Missouri Human Rights Act” to city officials, Fisher Patterson, a firm hired to conduct an internal investigation about “illegal hiring practices and race-based favoritism among senior City officials,” and the FBI.
The Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on a person’s race, sex, religion, disability and other factors.
The suit states that Kozakiewicz “reasonably believed” she was disclosing violations of state and federal laws, regulations and policies. She also alleged “abuses of authority” by city officials and mismanagement or waste of public resources “in awarding contracts to well-connected vendors.”
Kozakiewicz’s firing on June 9, 2025 came just a week after she met with the FBI, according to the suit. It also came amid a time of upheaval at City Hall after her boss, former City Manager Brian Platt, was also fired after a highly-publicized whistleblower trial that alleged Platt suggested it was OK to lie to news media.
The FBI initially contacted her in May 2025 “regarding public integrity and contracting issues within city government,” the lawsuit said. Kozakiewicz informed Vasquez that she had been contacted.
The lawsuit describes Kozakiewicz’s termination as “abrupt.” It alleges that the only explanation City Manager Mario Vasquez provided was that she “didn’t fit in” with other officials and staff at City Hall.
Kozakiewicz further alleges that Vasquez, at one point, referred to her communications with city council members as “weird.” Kozakiewicz alleges that this comment and the comments about her not fitting in were “an overt reference” to the fact that she is neurodivergent, which the lawsuit describes as a mental impairment that limits her ability to process certain interpersonal dynamics.
City responds
A spokesperson for Mayor Quinton Lucas, who was not named as a defendant in the suit, said in a statement that Lucas “respects and admires” current and former city employees.
“Many sue the City following separation these days and every dispute is unfortunate,” said spokesperson Megan Strickland, who added that Lucas looked forward to “a satisfactory resolution for our taxpayers” and touted several upcoming projects.
Kansas City spokesperson Sherae Honeycutt declined comment on the lawsuit Wednesday evening, citing the pending litigation. Honeycutt said the city had not yet been served with the lawsuit.
The lawsuit marks the second time Kozakiewicz has made headlines in recent weeks. Last month, The Star revealed that Lucas’ administration quietly conducted an audit of The Star’s coverage for perceived bias against City Hall. Kozakiewicz has said that she performed the audit at the request of Lucas, while Lucas rejects that characterization.
Kozakiewicz’s lawsuit marks the latest revelation tied to the ongoing federal investigation. Speculation related to the probe reached a fever pitch when The Star revealed that Washington, the nonprofit leader, was named in a federal subpoena sent to the city last year.
Washington has several ties to Parks-Shaw, including court filings that describe him as a “champion” for her mayoral campaign and $203 in campaign donations. Shaw, the public works director, also approved a majority of the city’s contracts with Washington’s organization.
