Patrece Lee, former Houston public works official, arrested

A former Houston Public Works Department employee has been arrested for allegedly accepting bribes from vendors and funneling city money to herself through a shell company.

Public Works first suspended Patrece Lee, the department’s former water operations manager, in November 2023 after a KPRC report alerted the city to possible conflicts of interest in its handling of emergency contracts for repairing water leaks. The internal investigation then turned into a criminal investigation.

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Harris County Prosecutor Kim Ogg announced during a news conference Friday that her office has filed 14 charges against seven defendants, including Lee, his brother and the vendors involved.

Lee, who faces four charges of corruption and abuse of official power, was arrested. The rest will surrender or be arrested in the coming days, Ogg said.

According to the charging document, Lee allegedly awarded city contracts to companies that would then hire his own company, KB3 Construction, for consulting services, “which amounted to little more than bribes.” In return, she promised to help those suppliers get bigger, better contracts and get paid faster.

From January 2023 to November 2023, Lee allegedly pocketed $322,000 from four different vendors through this scheme, the charging document states.

Investigators also accused Lee of transferring more than $400,000 in city dollars directly to LCI, a company owned by his brother Andrew Thomas, without ever disclosing his relationship with Thomas. She then immediately transferred at least $380,000 in payments to her own company, according to the charging document.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Levine said much of the money was spent. Ogg added that some of the money was intended to purchase new cars.

“All the normal checks and balances have been avoided, and that’s a recipe for corruption,” Ogg said. “Overall, the damage caused by public corruption is the loss of public confidence in government as a responsible steward of its money. »

Mayor John Whitmire, who co-hosted the news conference with Ogg, has long promised to root out corruption and conflicts of interest at City Hall. During his mayoral campaign last year, he cited this specific case as an example of ethical concerns under former Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration.

Facing enormous financial challenges, the mayor said he has no plans to ask voters for more tax revenue this year, partly because he is not yet sure he has eliminated all inefficiencies and corrupt practices in city operations.

“I’ve already let all my department heads know, ‘We’re watching.’ Don’t even think about cutting corners or playing favorites,” the mayor said, adding that he plans to look at the Houston Housing Authority, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Houston Airport System next.

“I have assured the public that we will not seek additional revenue until we can ensure that we have eliminated conflicts of interest and public corruption,” Whitmire added.

Randy Macchi, chief operating officer of Public Works, said the department is evaluating how to improve its contracting process to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

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Since emergency purchases are typically subject to less scrutiny than regular contracts, one solution, Macchi said, is to invest more in routine water line repairs to reduce the need for emergency repairs. emergency.

Additionally, in this case, Lee was the only person responsible for verifying the vendor information. Macchi said he will ensure that in the future there is always more than one employee in charge of the process for better checks and balances.

Three Public Works employees were fired as a direct result of the matter, Macchi said.

The investigation remains ongoing and the Texas Rangers are conducting an independent review. Officials encouraged any witnesses to contact the Texas Rangers at 281-517-1400 for information.

“There are definitely more witnesses,” Levine said. “The only way to end public corruption is for the public to come forward. »