Atlanta inspector general’s office staff accuse city officials of retaliation, refer investigations to feds

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirmed receipt of the letter by several members of the Atlanta City Council. Others listed as recipients include officials in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Inspector General and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.

Carr’s office confirmed receipt of the letter but said it is not party to any of the investigations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined comment and the FBI said it had not received the letter as of Tuesday afternoon.

“On Feb. 17, 2025, the Atlanta City Council passed legislation that strictly prohibits OIG from conducting criminal investigations,” the letter says. “We are government employees, and we have a duty to report fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption.”

The letter outlines eight investigations launched by the office, all of which involve high-ranking advisers in the mayor’s office, department heads and public safety leaders.

In a statement provided to the AJC, the mayor’s office said it was not aware of the allegations until the letter was sent Monday and called them an “attempt to tarnish the names and reputations of not only City employees, but private citizens and social service organizations.”

“The allegations about the Mayor’s Office are based on anonymous complaints that have apparently been investigated for more than a year and have found no wrongdoing,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said. “Furthermore, releasing information about active investigations is dangerous, unethical and possibly illegal.”

“We remain committed to pursuing any and all actual unethical behavior just as we will vigorously pursue justice against anyone who chooses to spread unsubstantiated claims,” the statement says.

Allegations in the letter range from misconduct, like contracts being awarded to political donors, to millions of dollars funneled to organizations connected to city staff. The letter also details alleged inappropriate pressure on union members during bargaining conversations and use of contractors for personal projects.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

One investigation was launched into payments over an event venue related to the city’s bid for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, according to the letter.

That investigation focused on a payment to the nonprofit Choose Atlanta 2024, which was assisting the city with its bid to influence an industry group to move its conference from the Georgia World Congress Center so it would be unoccupied during the dates of the DNC. The letter says Choose Atlanta 2024 is a nonprofit “but not a charitable one and the donation was not for `purely charitable purposes’ as allowed by city code.”

“OIG found evidence that the mayor appears to have coordinated payment of over $2 million to (an industry group) through Choose Atlanta 2024, Inc. to change the date of its annual workshop so that the City of Atlanta could propose its bid to host the DNC,” the letter says. “OIG found evidence that payment was negotiated with revenues obtained through the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority and guaranteed payment, regardless of winning the DNC bid. OIG also found evidence that suggests a non-disclosure agreement was executed between the (industry group) and an unknown entity.”

The OIG’s office has been in a nearly yearlong battle with Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration over independence. Officials in the mayor’s office have repeated claims that the OIG uses unethical and even illegal tactics when investigating city officials.

Legislation originally submitted by the mayor’s office would have allowed it to appoint members of the OIG governing board and strip the office of its ability to investigate alleged crimes. The legislation ultimately approved by the council calls for board members to be appointed by legal and advocacy organizations; there is debate as to whether it allows the OIG to perform criminal investigations.

The letter mentions the mayor’s office in more than one investigation.

Credit: Matt Reynolds

Credit: Matt Reynolds

Specifically, it names the mayor’s senior policy adviser Courtney English for his involvement in affordable housing nonprofit Star-C, which received a $2 million donation from the city. And Monday’s letter isn’t the first time that relationship has been questioned by a city watchdog. In a letter sent to English in 2023, City Ethics Officer Jabu Sengova recommended he step down from the nonprofit’s board of directors.

English provided the AJC email responses to the ethics office stating that he was not an active member of the nonprofit and resigned immediately per the office’s guidance. He referred other questions to his lawyer, Michael Sterling.

Sterling forwarded an email he sent to City Council members and the mayor Monday evening, slamming the inspector general’s office for spreading “unsubstantiated gossip” that he called a “serious breach (of) ethical conduct.”

“Disseminating unverified information contradicts the ethical obligation to ensure accuracy and reliability in investigative work,” Sterling wrote. “Investigative bodies are bound by ethical guidelines that emphasize integrity, objectivity, and respect for individuals’ rights. The OIG has clearly violated these core principles.”

The inspector general’s staff also sent the letter to all City Council members and the mayor. It is signed by the assistant inspector general, the deputy inspector general, two senior investigators and the office business manager.

The unprecedented move by members of the investigatory office comes on the heels of former Inspector General Shannon Manigault’s resignation on the same day that Atlanta City Council members passed the legislative overhaul of the watchdog’s role.

Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com

Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com

On the steps of City Hall last month, Manigault said she and her staff faced “threats, bullying, intimidation and harassment at the hands of people who have been the subjects of our investigations.”

“Pure and simple: it’s retaliation,” Manigault said. “The attacks have been systematic, sustained and savage. As we have uncovered more corruption, once again, at the highest rungs of City Hall, the attacks have gotten worse.”

The legislation that passed Atlanta City Council raised eyebrows for limiting the inspector general’s authority to investigate criminal activity. Council members argue that the final version does not go that far, but does require that the office refer such investigations to outside law enforcement agencies.

Supporters of the OIG believe otherwise.

“By virtue of this letter and the known activities discovered during these and other active investigations, we hereby request whistleblower protection, for ourselves and the reporters of information to OIG, from retaliation by city officials of the City of Atlanta,” the letter says.

City Attorney Patrise Perkins-Hooker has accused OIG staff of “sabotaging” changes to the office, and in the administration’s efforts to confiscate hidden recording devices like “spy pens” that were banned in the legislation passed by the council. She also accused them of failing to produce records requested under the Georgia Open Records Act.

“With the staff there being supporters of the former inspector general trying their best to basically do anything they can to kind of sabotage what’s going on,” Perkins-Hooker said, “they are just very caustic in their attitude.”

Perkins-Hooker’s remarks came during a Friday evening news briefing, when city officials announced the mayor had appointed an interim inspector general, which critics say runs contrary to the political independence of the office.

The inspector general’s governing board is made up of members appointed by legal and civil rights groups, and is in charge of vetting and hiring the city’s inspector general. But the body no longer has enough members, after a majority resigned alongside Manigault.

Interim Human Resources Commissioner Calvin Blackburn III also sent a letter to the mayor on Feb. 19 — two days after Manigault resigned — which echoed the city attorney’s concerns.

“I am concerned that the remaining OIG staff is distracted from doing the important and critical work for which the office was created,” he wrote. “Instead, they appear to be focused on a misguided effort to vindicate their former leader and seek retribution against those whom they believe mistreated Ms. Manigault.”