>>> INTERNSHIPS ARE A CHANCE TO LEARN AND TRAIN ON THE JOB.
THEY’RE USUALLY REALLY
COMPETITIVE TO LAND AND NOT
REALLY KNOWN FOR PAYING THAT
WELL.
WELL. >> BUT TONIGHT WE ARE UNCOVERING
A VERY SPECIAL AND VERY
LUCRATIVE INTERNSHIP AT THE CITY
OF HOUSTON WITH ONLY ONE
CANDIDATE GIVEN CONSIDERATION.
IT PAYS A WHOPPING $95,000 A
YEAR AND THE MAN WHO LANDED IT
HAD DEEP CITY HALL CONNECTIONS.
>> CHANNEL 2 INVESTIGATES
ECUADOR POSES THE SWEETHEART
DEAL SECURED WITH MAYOR
SYLVESTER TURNER’S SIGNATURE.
MARIOS HAS THE STORY.
>> Reporter: MAYOR, WHAT IS YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH MARVIN
AGUMAGU?
AGUMAGU? >> I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT.
TALKING ABOUT. >> Reporter: IT’S A SIMPLE
QUESTION FOR MAYOR SYLVESTER
TURNER.
TURNER. SIMPLE BUT IMPORTANT.
BECAUSE MARVIN AGUMAGU IS
SOMEONE MAYOR TURNER KNOWS AND
HAS TAKEN CARE OF.
SIGNING OFF ON A $95,000-A-YEAR
INTERNSHIP FOR AGUMAGU LAST FALL
AT THE AIRPORT.
THAT’S RIGHT, 95,000 A YEAR,
WITH BENEFITS FOR AN INTERNSHIP.
BEFORE WE LAY OUT HOW IT
HAPPENED, LET’S SHOW YOU HOW THE
MAYOR AND MARVIN ARE CONNECTED.
PERSONNEL RECORDS SHOW MARVIN
AGUMAGU WAS A CITY HALL INTERN.
HE ALSO WORKED IN THE OFFICE OF
LAYER -- LARRY GREEN.
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS REVEAL HE HAD
INSIDER ACCESS.
INSIDER ACCESS. >> FROM FINALLIA.
ALSO ON MY -- FROM NIGERIA.
ALSO ON MY STAFF THE AIRPORT
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. >> Reporter: HERE HE IS NEXT TO
THE MAYOR AT A CHARITY
BASKETBALL GAME.
BASKETBALL GAME. THERE’S MAYOR TURNER, THE RAPPER
DRAKE, AND AGUMAGU, HANDING
DRAKE A CITY HONOR.
DURING THE ASTROS’ WORLD SERIES
PARADE, MARVIN AGUMAGU WAS YARDS
AWAY FROM THE MAYOR, WORKING
WITH HIS STAFF ALONG THE PARADE
ROUTE AND STEPS AWAY FROM THE
MAYOR AT CITY HALL FOR THE
CELEBRATION.
CELEBRATION. AGUMAGU ALSO WAS LISTED AS A
GUEST OF MAYOR TURNER AT A
BANQUET HONORING BOB McNAIR.
BUT HE WAS LOOKING TO LAND
SOMETHING BIGGER.
SOMETHING BIGGER. ON SEPTEMBER 12th, 2018,
MONTHS AFTER HIS PREVIOUS
INTERNSHIP WITH THE CITY ENDED,
HE WROTE TO ANDY ICKEN, THE
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, A KEY
MAYOR OF -- MEMBER OF THE MAYOR’
INNER CIRCLE.
INNER CIRCLE. I’M SENDING YOU MY RESUME’ FOR
YOUR REVIEW.
YOUR REVIEW. HE FORWARDED IT TO MARIO DIAZ,
COULD YOU DEVELOP A POSITION.
FIVE WORDS KEY TO WHAT WE UP
COVERED.
COVERED. COULD YOU DEVELOP A POSITION.
EMAIL CHANNEL 2 INVESTIGATES
CLEARLY SHOW A MAN WAS HATCHED
WITH TWO CITY DIRECTORS,
SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPING A
POSITION FOR AGUMAGU.
ON SEPTEMBER 19th HE RECEIVED
A VERBAL OFFER.
DIRECTOR DIAZ WRITING ICKEN, I
OFFERED HIM A ONE-YEAR IN10SHIP
TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME.
ICKEN’S RESPONSE, GOOD APPROACH
AND THE APPROACH, DEVELOPING A
ONE OF-A-KIND INTERNSHIP OUT OF
THIN AIR IS KEY, BECAUSE AROUND
THE SAME TIME, MAYOR TURNER WAS
TELLING THE PUBLIC THE CITY
DIDN’T HAVE MONEY TO HIRE
EMPLOYEES.
EMPLOYEES. >> I HAVE IMPOSED A HIRING
FREEZE.
FREEZE. >> Reporter: HE ORDERED THE
FREEZE ON SEPTEMBER 24th,
STATING ALL DEPARTMENTS SUSPEND
HIRING.
HIRING. >> MY CASE IS BASED ON THE FACTS
AND THE COSTS.
>> Reporter: BUT ON OBJECT
4th, DIRECTOR DIAZ SENDS MAYOR
TURNER THIS LETTER TOUTING
AGUMAGU AS THE FIRST CD FOR THE
NEWLY CREATED EXCLUSIVE INTERN
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. THE INTERNSHIP WILL GIVE HIM THE
OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN VALUABLE
APPLIED EXPERIENCE, DIAZ WROTE.
THERE’S ONE INCREDIBLE PERK, NOT
LISTED IN THE LETTER BUT THAT
CHANNEL 2 INVESTIGATES
UNCOVERED.
UNCOVERED. ONCE THE 12- TO 18-MONTH
INTERNSHIP WRAPS, AGUMAGU, THE
INTERN, DECIDES IF HE’S COMING
ON BOARD FULL TIME.
IN THE VERY SAME LETTER, FROM
DIAZ TO THE MAYOR, AGUMAGU HITS
THE JACKPOT.
THE JACKPOT. DIAZ WRITES TO MAYOR TURNER,
BASED ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES,
NEEDS, AND DEMANDS OF THE JOB,
HE’S REQUESTING ANNUAL PAY OF
$95,000 A YEAR.
THE SALARY EQUIVALENT OF A
SENIOR STAFF ANALYST.
SUDDENLY THE INTERN IS MAKING
MORE THAN OTHER VETERAN AIRPORT
EMPLOYEES WITH MORE EXPERIENCE.
LET’S RECAP.
LET’S RECAP. MARVIN AGUMAGU HAS HISTORY WITH
THE MAYOR AND CITY HALL.
HE NEEDS A JOB.
PER THE MAYOR’S REQUEST, AGUMAGU
EMAILS ONE OF THE MAYOR’S TOP
GUYS.
GUYS. THAT GUY THEN EMAILS THE AIRPORT
DIRECTOR, WHO IN TURN CREATES A
GEM OF A GIG, JUST FOR AGUMAGU.
AN INTERNSHIP THAT PAYS A
WHOPPING $95,000 A YEAR, WITH
PUBLIC DOLLARS FROM THE
ENTERPRISE FUND, USED FOR
SPECIAL PROJECTS OUT HERE AT THE
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT. VENTLY, THAT FUND --
CONVENIENTLY, THAT FUND IS NOT
IMPACTED BY THE HIRING FREEZE.
>> IT’S SHOCKING TO ME THAT
THEY’RE TRYING TO PASS THIS OFF
AS A TRUE INTERNSHIP.
>> Reporter: TODD IS A
HOUSTON-BASED EMPLOYMENT
HOUSTON-BASED EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY.
ATTORNEY. >> THIS IS NOW HOW
INTERNALSHIPS -- INTERNSHIPS
WORK.
WORK. >> I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS INTERN
WAS DOING, BUT IT MUST BE REALLY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. >> Reporter: BUCK WOOD IS THE
MOWER FOES POLITICAL -- FOREMOST
POLITICAL EXPERT IN TEXAS.
>> HE’S A MEMBER OF CITY
COUNCIL, THE MAYOR LET’S SAY,
WANTS TO CALL SOMEBODY AND SAY,
OUR DEPARTMENT -- I WOULD LIKE
FOR Y’ALL TO CONSIDER THIS
PERSON, THAT’S NOT ILLEGAL.
>> Reporter: HOE DOES IT SNELL
WHEN IT’S A $95,000-A-YEAR
INTERNSHIP?
INTERNSHIP? >> THAT PUTS A DIFFERENT LIGHT
ON IT.
ON IT. >> Reporter: PER MAYOR TURNER’S
REQUEST IS HOW THIS ALL BEGAN.
MAYOR TURNER’S SIGNATURE
OFFICIALLY SEALED THE SWEETHEART
DEAL WEEKS LATER.
, WHICH BRINGS US PACK TO ONE
KEY QUESTION.
KEY QUESTION. WHAT MAKES MARVIN AGUMAGU SO
SPECIAL THAT MAYOR TURNER
CREATED THIS NEARLY
$100,000-A-YEAR INTERNSHIP FOR
HIM?
HIM? >> THERE’S GOT TO BE SOMETHING
AND I THINK THE MAYOR IS THE
ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS THE ANSWER
TO THAT QUESTION.
>> Reporter: MAYOR, WHAT IS YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH MARVIN
AGUMAGU?
AGUMAGU? >> I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT.
TALKING ABOUT. >> Reporter: YOU HAVE NO IDEA
WHO MARVIN AGUMAGU IS?
>> I HAVE NO IDEA.
>> Reporter: YOU CREATED AN
INTERN SHIP FOR HIM THAT PAYS
$95,000 A YEAR.
HERE’S YOUR SIGNATURE RIGHT
HERE.
HERE. MAYOR TURNER, WE’D LOVE TO TALK
TO YOU ABOUT THIS INTERNSHIP
THAT PAYS $95,000 A YEAR THAT
YOU CREATED FOR SOMEONE YOU SAY
YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO I’M TALKING
ABOUT.
ABOUT. NOW, MOST WON’T BLAME MARVIN
AGUMAGU FOR TAKING THIS
SWEETHEART DEAL.
SWEETHEART DEAL. HE WAS, AFTER ALL, ENCOURAGED TO
REACH OUT BY MAYOR TURNER.
THE MAYOR’S SPOKESPERSON SAYS
AGU
AGU AGUMAGU’S INTERNSHIP IS COMING
TO AN END AND A NEW CANDIDATE
WILL BE CHOSEN FOUR THE ROLE.
WE DO NOT KNOW IF MARVIN AGUMAGU
WILL STAY ON AT THE AIRPORT.
WAY REACHED OUT TO HIM.
WE HAVE NOT HEARD BACK.
YOU HEARD THE MAYOR CLEARLY SAY
HE HAS NO IDEA WHO MARVIN
AGUMAGU IS, BUT THE EVIDENCE
HERE CLEARLY SHOWS OTHERWISE.
AND TOMORROW NIGHT, AT 10:00,
CHANNEL 2 INVESTIGATES WILL DIVE
DEEPER INTO THIS INTERNSHIP
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. WHAT IT ENTAILS.
AND WE’LL HAVE MORE REACTION.
>> MARIO, AND I KNOW YOU’RE
WORKING ON MORE CONTENT FOR THE
WEB AS WELL.
>> Reporter: IF YOU GO THERE
AFTER THE NEWSCAST, WE HAVE MORE