Opinion ID: 2558572
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 30

Heading: Respondent's Testimony at the March 7 and 27, 2003 D.C. Council Hearings

Text: 49. On March 7, 2003, Respondent appeared at an oversight hearing of the D.C. Council's Committee on Government Operations, chaired by Mr. Orange. Although Respondent had used the surname White during her entire employment at OHR (and did so at the hearing herein), she used the surname Parrish in her communications with Mr. Orange and before the D.C. Council. Tr. at 804; BX 16; BX 18; BX 20; BX 21; BX 28; BX 30; see also BX 33. 50. In her prepared testimony, Respondent stated that she had submitted an e-mail to OIG on July 20, 2001, informing OIG of contracting and personnel irregularities within [OHR] and that she orally told Mr. Scavdis that Holman was steering contracts to Curtis Lewis because Holman stated that he was ordered to give contracts to Curtis Lewis because Curtis Lewis was well connected to the Mayor. RX 4; BX 18; BX 20 at 339-40. Respondent also testified that she had e-mailed Mr. Scavdis a 34-page memo which addressed, among other things, the awarding of the contract to [CLA]. BX 20 at 340-41. OIG investigators testified that Respondent never provided the grievance memo to them and she had never complained about CLA. Rather, they said, she complained only about the Plummer contract and her alleged mistreatment by Mr. Holman. BX 20 at 419-21, 428-34, 448-73; Tr. at 375-78. The Committee credits the testimony of the Agents in this regard. 51. OIG testimony also directly contradicted Respondent's testimony that she had met with Mr. Slay on November 9, 2001 and, during this meeting, had advised him of several violations of [OHR] including the issuance of the preferential contract to [CLA] and provided him with documents and e-mails relating to these violations. BX 18 at 1-2; BX 20 at 341. OIG's records date the first November contact as November 21, 2001. 52. In response to questions at the Council hearing, Respondent expanded her testimony concerning the complaints she claimed to have filed with OIG stating, among other things: (1) that she contacted Mr. Scavdis when she learned that CLA was to receive an additional contract from OHR (BX 20 at 345); (2) that she told Mr. Scavdis about other bidders who she claimed were more qualified than CLA (BX 20 at 347); (3) that she reported to Mr. Scavdis that she had discussed her concerns about the quality and cost of CLA work with Mr. Holman and that Mr. Holman told me that he was ordered to do this because Curtis Lewis was well connected to the Mayor (BX 20 at 349-50, 355); (4) that the greatest topic that she discussed with Mr. Slay on November 9, 2001, was the contract of Curtis Lewis & Associates and the contracting (BX 20 at 351); (5) that she discussed the purported memorandum of November 9, 2001 (BX 16 at 45-47) with Mr. Slay at the meeting on November 9, 2001 (BX 20 at 351-52); and (6) that she had provided the March 15, 2001 memo concerning CLA to Mr. Holman (BX 20 at 355). 53. After Respondent's testimony at the Council hearing, Mr. Maddox as well as Agent Scavdis, Agent Slay, and the IG's General Counsel testified under oath concerning the complaints that Respondent actually filed or made to OIG, and OIG's investigation of those complaints. BX 20 at 373-79, 414-97. 54. Mr. Scavdis testified that Respondent's complaint submitted in July 2001 concerned Mr. Plummer, not CLA. Mr. Scavdis testified that when he met with Respondent on August 9, 2001 (not July 30, 2001), they discussed the Plummer contract, but she did not say anything about OHR's steering contracts to Curtis Lewis. Mr. Scavdis admitted that Respondent had provided him some e-mails referring to CLA, but reiterated that Respondent never complained about or discussed CLA with him, and that he understood that the e-mails were somehow related to her claim that Mr. Holman had retaliated against her. BX 20 at 419-21, 428-34, 448-73; Tr. at 379-80. 55. Mr. Shay testified that, contrary to Respondent's statements, she had never provided him the November 9, 2001 memorandum. He further testified that during their meeting, which occurred on December 11, 2001 (not November 9, 2001), she advised him of her prior complaint concerning Mr. Plummer and they then discussed Mr. Holman's alleged improper use of her credit card. Respondent did not complain about or discuss CLA with Mr. Slay. BX 20 at 422-29, 445, 453, 473-74, 488-90; Tr. At 805-07; see also Tr. At 773, 780, 804, 815-16, 898, 909. 56. On March 10, 2003, Respondent faxed Mr. Orange another memo attaching additional documents, including five e-mails, one of which had been significantly altered (BX 21 at 5), and a report and memo that she claimed Ms. Delaney had prepared. BX 21 at 1, 7-10. Contrary to her representations to Mr. Orange, Respondent had provided OIG only one of the documentsthe same March 12, 2001 e-mail that she attached to her January 28, 2003 memo to Mr. Orange. BX 21 at 2; BX 16 at 41; BX 9 at 24; Tr. at 381-82. 57. On March 27, 2003, Respondent testified again before the D.C. Council. After being sworn, Respondent read the written statement that she had prepared (BX 28) and then responded to questions from Mr. Orange. BX 30 at 38-77. 58. In her sworn testimony, Respondent contended that Agents Scavdis and Slay testified falsely about their interaction with her. BX 30 at 40-41. Respondent testified that she had discussed CLA with both Agents Scavdis and Slay, and stated among other things: (1) that Agent Scavdis assured Respondent he would investigate OHR's contracting procurement procedure and review all contracts ratified by OHR (BX 30 at 40); (2) that she provided Agent Scavdis contract and procurement regulations and the Whistleblower's Act, with which he was allegedly not familiar (BX 30 at 41); (3) that she submitted a November 9, 2001 memo to Agent Slay listing eight personnel and contracting violations, which she discussed with him at their meeting on that date (BX 30 at 41, 67-68, 76); (4) that she told Agent Slay about the disparity between contracts on November 9, 2001 (BX 30 at 66); (5) that she provided Agent Scavdis with everything, including her March 12th memo (March 15th) to Mr. Holman concerning CLA's contracts, as well as e-mails about meetings with two CLA associates (BX 30 at 71); and (6) that she told Agent Scavdis that, over Respondent's objection, Mr. Holman had given CLA work (BX 30 at 72). 59. During the March 27, 2003 hearing, Respondent also repeated under oath her statements concerning the dates on which she met with Agents Scavdis and Slay. Respondent testified that she met with Mr. Scavdis on July 30, 2001, and with Mr. Slay on November 9, 2001 (BX 30 at 74-76)the latter date being the date of a memo (BX 16 at 36) that Respondent testified she gave to Mr. Slay. She also testified about her knowledge of the OIG investigation, requested by Charles Holman, regarding whether she was simultaneously employed by an outside law firm while at OHR (BX 30 at 14-15).