Police captain: FBI investigating City of Houston

HOUSTON — Houston Police Capt. Charley McAnally claims the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into “potential multiple felony offenses” involving Houston Mayor Virgie Thompson and Treasurer Carolyn Grabowski.

McAnally said Friday he is a witness for the FBI’s investigation into possible financial malfeasance of city funds, an investigation he says has been going on for at least six weeks now.

“There are implications of embezzlement and various other charges,” McAnally said. “The documents and evidence I received was more than enough for them to mount an investigation. My own personal recordings of city officials are extremely damaging.”

Although the FBI has a policy of neither confirming nor denying ongoing investigations and would not stray from that policy Friday, Grabowski and Thompson said Friday they have not been contacted by anyone from the FBI nor asked to make any statements for an investigation.

Grabowski said she hoped the Frontiersman wouldn’t write a story about McAnally’s allegations and suggested a possible libel suit if it did.

Thompson said she would cooperate if contacted by an investigator.

“If there were legitimate concerns and the FBI is involved, they certainly would know how to reach me,” said Thompson, a Houston Middle School special education specialist who was elected to the council last October. “The allegations don’t surprise me because of who they came from, but as far as I know I haven’t done anything to justify them.”

McAnally sent a letter to Houston City Council Thursday to inform them of the investigation and encourage them to reject Thompson’s recent job performance evaluation of him.

In McAnally’s letter to the council, he wrote that he believes Thompson’s evaluation of him was done in haste and represents a “definite conflict of interest.” The evaluation included input from Grabowski, who also serves as the city’s human resources officer.

“I ask that the Council act wisely and await the results of the ongoing FBI criminal investigation before you vote to accept or amend the personal evaluation that I was presented Wednesday, March 16, 2011,” he wrote. “I believe I am the victim of systemic harassment, aimed to prevent me from doing my job.”

Calls and emails seeking comment from City Council members Friday were not returned by the end of the workday.

Deputy Mayor Jim Johansen called the Frontiersman Thursday and said he seriously doubted there really was an FBI investigation.

“It’s just smoke,” said Johansen, who has been a vocal defender of Thompson and Grabowski since budget debates over the police department began surfacing over the last couple of months. “It’s not real. It’s lies. They’re trying to set up the mayor to take a fall.”

McAnally said Friday he has no reason to make any of it up and did not send the letter to council without some serious soul-searching.

“I would not risk my entire livelihood on a lie that could be proven to be a lie,” he said. “If it was a lie, my entire career would be in jeopardy. But I’m safe in saying what I am because it’s the truth.”

He said Thompson’s recent job evaluation of him where she gave him mostly “unsatisfactory” and “marginal” scores in 10 categories was a far cry from all his evaluations by previous Houston mayors.

“Just three months ago, prior to me finding out about any wrongdoing in the city, the mayor gave me a great evaluation. It was fantastic,” he said. “Then I start investigating and get a horrible evaluation. My attitude has not changed. My work performance hasn’t changed. Nothing’s changed except an investigation is going on against her and Carolyn (Grabowski).”

In McAnally’s performance evaluations from last October and December completed by former Mayor Rosemary Burnett and Thompson and faxed to the Frontiersman by McAnally Friday, he received mostly “excellent” or “good” marks in every category. There was only one “satisfactory” mark and that was for attendance.

Thompson said Friday that she stands behind McAnally’s most recent evaluation and denied it was prompted by McAnally’s pursuit of an investigation against her and Grabowski.

“I didn’t even know about the investigation — if there is one — until getting Captain McAnally’s letter this week,” she said. “The evaluation was not in retaliation of anything. It was based on job performance only.”

The Council is scheduled to meet in Executive Session Wednesday to discuss McAnally’s employment.

Thompson said it’s up to City Council whether to accept the evaluation or take other action regarding McAnally’s letter.

Thompson said she did not ask council members to refrain from commenting to the Frontiersman on the investigation issue.

“They can respond however they choose,” she said. “All I know is it’s pretty serious allegations to be brought against someone.”

During recent City Council meetings and work sessions on the budget, McAnally attempted to put in his two cents over statements made that his department is costing the city too much. At one point, Grabowski told him he didn’t have enough knowledge of the budget process, but she’d be glad to sit down with him and show him everything on her computer.

McAnally laughed about that Friday.

“Evidently I have a little more understanding of the budget than they estimated,” he said. “If I had no understanding of budgets, there would not have been an investigation of embezzlement.”

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.