Lawsuit renews focus on Kansas City FBI probe. Here’s what we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A whistleblower lawsuit and a high-profile retirement renewed interest in the FBI probe.
- City Manager Mario Vasquez has said the investigation dates back to at least January 2024.
- Melissa Kozakiewicz says she was fired days after an interview with federal authorities.
A new whistleblower lawsuit and a high-profile retirement have renewed interest in a sweeping Federal Bureau of Investigation probe tied to City Hall that has plunged Kansas City politics into disarray.
While the exact focus of the investigation remains unclear, the revelations have thrust the criminal probe back into the spotlight.
City employees have said that federal investigators posed questions focused on top elected officials, contracts with outside vendors and potential instances of favoritism and corruption.
Despite the lack of details, pieces of information have slowly trickled out in the months since the probe was revealed.
Here’s what we know:
Probe dates back months
City Manager Mario Vasquez has said that the investigation dates back to at least January 2025. Meanwhile, City Hall received a federal grand jury subpoena tied to the investigation last summer. The FBI typically conducts investigations in secret and there have been no arrests or charges filed as of Thursday.
In that time, the FBI has conducted interviews with a handful of city employees, issued at least one subpoena demanding records from the city and obtained copies of Facebook messages tied to a local nonprofit leader, various sources said.
The investigation appears to focus on government contracts and campaign donations and could be examining potential instances of corruption.
In public corruption investigations, it can be hard to determine the direction of a probe based on a single grand jury subpoena, Pat McInerney, a prominent attorney and former federal prosecutor, previously said. Investigators, he said, typically cast a wide net.
“They really kind of cover the gamut,” McInerney said in March. “They cover a whole lot of turf.”
Mayoral race
At least one local politician has been tied to the investigation. Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw, who is currently running to replace term-limited Mayor Quinton Lucas, was the subject of some questions FBI agents posed during interviews with city employees, according to sources.
Parks-Shaw’s husband, the city’s director of public works, Michael Shaw, announced his retirement on Wednesday. His last day of work is May 29.
Agents posed questions to city employees about whether the couple used their authority for financial and professional gain.
However, the sources detailed a series of other questions, signaling that the exact target of the investigation is unclear.
Parks-Shaw has publicly stated that she has not been contacted by federal officials and that she would fully cooperate with an investigation.
McInerney, the former federal prosecutor, said that individuals who are contacted by federal investigators typically fall into three categories: target, subject and witness. If a person is considered a target, that means their conduct is the focus of the investigation.
If an individual is a subject, that means their conduct has “come within the scope” of the investigation. And witnesses are people who may have relevant information related to the investigation, he said.
Parks-Shaw is facing two fellow city council members in the mayoral race: Crispin Rea, who represents the 4th District at Large and Wes Rogers of the Northland.
City spending
A federal subpoena sent to City Hall in August sought records between the city and Anton Washington, who runs a nonprofit designed to connect homeless people to resources.
Washington denied any wrongdoing tied to the subpoena. However, a pair of emails has alleged inappropriate behavior by Washington. The FBI has obtained a copy of one of those emails, according to a source.
In total, Washington’s organization received roughly $287,000 from the city between 2021 and 2024, according to city financial records. Most of the contracts were approved by Michael Shaw, the public works director.
Former employee alleges retaliation
On Wednesday, former Assistant City Manager Melissa Kozakiewicz filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that city leaders retaliated and discriminated against her.
The lawsuit alleges that Kozakiewicz was fired just days after she was interviewed by federal authorities about racial hiring decisions. Kozakiewicz said that she was disciplined for disclosing city issues to the FBI.
