>> She opens up about her
relation.
>> Thank you for joining us
for this exclusive KPRC 2 plus
investigation. Houston’s
director of City Council
relations recently pleaded
guilty to a federal conspiracy
charge. The actions of William
Paul Thomas were described as
out of character by Mayor
Sylvester Turner.
>> The KPRC, 2 investigator,
Mario Diaz uncovered a pattern
going back several years of
Thomas working outside of his
council duties at City Hall and
in the favor of the business owners, investments at the
owners, investments at the
airport.
>> Conspiracy to take cash
bribes inside. Mayor Sylvester
Turner’s inner surprise about
the revelation here. Because it
is out of character. William
Paul Thomas, the now former
director of city Council
relations pleading guilty to a
federal charge.
>> We
know nothing.
>> Thomas, who resigned from
his post the week before the
case became public was a
central figure at City Hall
for years at Mayor Turner’s
side for various events from
the rodeo to South Africa and
every week he stood prominently
behind the mayor and city
council. His specific job was
to be
>> the mayor’s 2 layers on in
assisting working with. Each
one of the council members.
>> But in February,
Twenty-twenty KPRC, 2
investigates uncovered. Thomas
doing otherwise emails we
obtained from the city showed
Thomas in the middle of a
massive six-figure offer in
exchange for Mayor Turner’s
help
>> you good to trigger. Receive
an half a million dollars from
Jason. You for a donation for
the city or to the mayor
contingent talk to me.
>> The e-mail sent to William
Paul Thomas and another
director within the mayor’s
inner circle and the it can
the e-mail laying out a
$500,000 offer contingent on
getting the mayor’s help to
close a private land deal for
this man is a local
businessman. Jason, you the
deal valued at nearly
350 million dollars.
>> 500 cuts and all this.
They put this in an email.
The email when I saw it
yesterday based on what you
present, the male was
inappropriate. Some have called
the FBI. But they did it.
Emails obtained by KPRC.
2 investigates show other
instances of Thomas working
outside of his role here at
City Hall. Its support views,
business investments. This time
out at Bush. It’s a continental
air.
One e-mail from November, 30th
2017 shows Thomas.
>> Working against the city
e-mailing use business partner
at the Houston Airport system.
Director asking a news behalf
for penalties to be waived
after failing to meet
contractual obligations,
airport records from that year
show you and his the city of
Houston Airport System.
$861,000.
>> In this e-mail, he is
certainly not getting funds for
the city. It is a specific
request. To liquidate the
penalties.
>> Angela Welton has history
with public corruption cases.
She is a former chief
prosecutor for public integrity
with the Harris County District
Attorney’s office.
>> All of it raises questions
the mayor’s office says
reassessed liquidated damages
were offered to use partner
following the e-mails.
>> Claiming the Houston airport
system has done this in the
past. The mayor’s office also
telling us William Paul Thomas
director of council relations
did not negotiate on behalf of
the subcontractor and had no
influence in this matter.
>> Check out this email because
that. Because in direct
conflict. You say that shows
influence.
Yes, I believe it. S.
>> Emails also show Thomas
attending meetings with
director Diaz and you over a
potential airport mentor
Thomas, referring to you as
Portner and some of those
e-mails. Remember.
>> Thomas’s job was to be a
liaison for city council
members, not for private
business owners who want access
to city Hall.
>> I think it should be
investigated. This absolutely
is telling.
With regard to improper
influence.
>> We left multiple messages by
phone and email for Thomas and
you for this report. They did
not get back to us. We will, of
course, follow up if we do hear
from them and you will see it
right here and our digital
streaming service. KPRC 2.
Plus, are you explain that the
city essentially at forgave
essentially forgave?
>> Some of what you and his
owed after not meeting their
obligation in their contract at
the airport. Is this like a
standard practice and who
approved this? The answer,
Danielle, it’s kind of mixed.
Okay. Because when we first
started investigating the city
told us.
>> They had liquidated damages
roughly a couple of dozen
times. As for who approves
this. The Houston Airport
system’s commercial development
officer says a city attorney
would have to sign off on a
settlement. We’re not certain
that ever happened as airport
director Mario Diaz had plans
to cancel all liquidated
damages. The mayor’s office
told us in 2020 that they were
in still in the process of
collecting the 5. But we do
know that the airport’s
director, Mario Diaz, says that
they settled somewhere around
$100,000, which is a fraction
of the $861,000 at the
airports. Commercial
development officer says was
invoiced to you and his
partners. Okay. So the cities
involved in quite a few
expensive projects and we see
them in council meetings,
approving contracts. So were
they involved? Great question
here. And right. The answer
here is no. The city Council
only has to approve contracts
worth more than $50,000.
Also, the council is not
involved if those projects rack
up fines or penalties well in
excess of $50,000, like what we
have seen in our investigation
council also is never made
aware if the fines or penalties
or lowered one city Hall
official tells me the city’s
attorney should have signed
off on the final settlement in
the case. Thomas was involved
in since the fines were tied to
a contractual agreement
involving the city’s airport
system. You’ve been
investigating this story for
years now as we were talking
about it.
>> He sure little bit more
about this reporting process
and everything you have to go
through to to get to this point
where you are now
investigation. I will tell you
it’s not easy. This initially
started with another
investigation that we’re
working on several years ago.
And the way it works is that we
made a request through what is
called the Texas Public
Information Act. Anyone can
make a request for records.
It’s exactly what we did.
And we requested emails.
And initially the first request
was for thousands of e-mails
that they produce back to us
and looking at those e-mails.
And guys, I have to tell you,
when you’re looking at these
e-mails, what happens is
they’re not laid out to where
this entire story is perfect
for you. You have to piece it
together like it’s like finding
several needles in a haystack.
Just imagine you’re like, whoa,
what is this e-mail me to put
it in a pile over here than
what is this e-mail me and you
put it in Apollo are here.
Having covered City hall as
well as the area politics now
for quite some time and seeing
some of these individuals, it
kind of starts piecing this
puzzle together. Now, imagine I
don’t know exactly what this
puzzle looks like. You just
have an idea and your peace in
all of these e-mails. So
eventually we ended up putting
it all together and then
identifying exactly what
happened here. And ultimately
you saw what took place just
last. Is there more to come?
There is more to come to work
to do. We have more e-mails.
All right. Well, Mario, we know
that you’re going to continue
to follow up on this story.
Thank you so much for watching
this exclusive special report.
>> On our digital streaming
network, KPRC 2 plus and you
can watch for free anytime on