Office of the Inspector General
Press Release and Cover Letter
Report of Investigation of Fundraising Activities of the Executive Office of the Mayor
OIG No. 2001-0188(S)
March 28, 2002

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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of the Inspector General
717 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005 (202) 727-2540

Inspector General Releases Report on Fundraising Activities of the Mayor's Office

The Report states: "Because of the large number of individuals and numerous corporations implicated by the EOM's fundraising practices, it was necessary to dedicate the requisite time and resources used in this investigation to ensure fairness, accuracy, and a thorough analysis of all disclosed facts and findings. This investigation offers to the Mayor, the City Council, and the public an understanding of the fundraising activities subject to this investigation. As a result, appropriate authorities can determine the extent to which regulatory and/or legislative reforms are necessary; the Mayor can consider our recommended changes to his Mayor's Order regarding government fundraising; agencies can decide whether to take administrative action against current employees for misconduct; and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia can decide whether this report contains information that has prosecutorial merit. We trust that this report and the actions taken by responsible District leaders will assure residents that their government is accountable and responsive to public concerns."

In order to respond fully to several specific requests made by the Mayor and Councilmembers Vincent Orange and David Catania, all of whom requested the inquiry, the investigation involved 19 investigators and several executive staff members, required almost 300 interviews and 115 subpoenas, and access to more than 13,000 emails and 280,000 documents for review.

Today the OIG website will provide access to the public portions of the report at www.dcig.org;  Alternatively, requests for mailed copies can be made by calling (202) 727-2540.

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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
717 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005 (202) 727-2540

Inspector General

March 28, 2002

The Honorable Linda W. Cropp
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 504
Washington, D.C. 20004

The Honorable Vincent B. Orange, Sr.
Chairman
Committee on Government Operations
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW- Suite 108
Washington, D.C. 20004

The Honorable David A. Catania
Councilmember
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 110
Washington, D.C. 20004

I am pleased to transmit to you the "Report of Investigation of the Fundraising Activities of the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM)." (OIG Control Number 2001-0188 (S))

Issuance of the report concludes a thirteen- month investigation of the EOM's relationship with non-profit organizations in a joint effort to solicit approximately $1.5 million from donors who were mostly District government contractors or businesses regulated by the District government. The OIG investigated fundraising activities that occurred over a two and a half year period to finance seven civic events. The investigation required a detailed financial analysis of the activities of numerous non-profit corporations and interviews with hundreds of individuals, many of whom were donors solicited by or on behalf of the EOM and its public-private partnership activities.

In order to respond fully to several specific requests made by Mayor Williams and Council members Vincent B. Orange, Sr., and David A. Catania (all of whom requested the inquiry), the investigation involved the efforts of 19 investigators and several executive staff members, required almost 300 interviews and 115 subpoenas, and access to more than 13,000 emails and 280,000 documents for review. The large number of individuals and numerous corporations implicated by the EOM's fundraising practices required us to dedicate the requisite time and resources used in this investigation to ensure fairness, accuracy, and a thorough analysis of all facts and findings.

This investigation offers to the Mayor, the D.C. Council, and the public an understanding of the fundraising activities subject to this investigation. As a result, the following actions can be achieved:

• appropriate authorities can determine the extent to which regulatory and/or legislative reforms are necessary;
• the Mayor can consider our recommended changes to his Mayor's Order 2002-2, regarding government fundraising;
• agencies can decide whether to take administrative action against current employees for misconduct; and
• the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia can determine whether this report contains information that has prosecutorial merit.

The full report includes materials concerning potential criminal and administrative violations. Specifically, we believe that certain District government employees engaged in activities that violated the Standards of Conduct and other District and federal laws. None of the EOM employees who were most responsible for participating in inappropriate partnership activities currently works in the EOM; most are no longer employed by the District government; some have been reassigned to other agencies. However, we will make referrals to the appropriate District and federal agencies for final determination (notwithstanding the status of individuals as former employees), since we do not have jurisdiction to determine the outcome in these matters. Those referrals are as follows:

• Unites [sic] States Attorney for the District of Columbia - (see General Finding 1, General Recommendation 1; General Referral 3; and Specific Findings and Recommendations 24-26).
• U.S. Internal Revenue Service - (see General Referral 2 and Specific Findings and Recommendations 27-28).
• U.S. Office of Special Counsel - (see General Referral 1 and Specific Findings and Recommendations 22-23).
• Executive Office of the Mayor - (see General Recommendations 1 and 3, Specific Findings and Recommendations 32-33, and Observations and Recommendations 1-6).
• Council of the District of Columbia - (see General Recommendation 1 and Specific Findings and Recommendations 32-33).
• Chief of Staff, Executive Office of the Mayor - (see General Recommendations 2, and 5-6, and Specific Findings and Recommendations 7-9, 12, 15, 19, 21, and 3031).
• Office of the Corporation Counsel - (see General Recommendation 4 and Specific Finding and Recommendation 29).
• Office of Campaign Finance - (see General Recommendation 5 and Specific Findings and Recommendations 1-21).
• Office of the Chief Financial Officer - (see General Recommendation 4 and Specific Finding and Recommendation 29).
• Office of Tax and Revenue, Office of the Chief Financial Officer (See General Referral 2 and Specific Findings and Recommendations 27-28).

District agencies that have received referrals are requested to advise this Office in writing by April 26, 2002, of the status of their plans for addressing our recommendations and referrals. When responding, please refer to OIG Control Number 2001-0188(S).

It should be noted that we are not providing the public with the full text of this report. In order to preserve the integrity of future inquiries and to protect the privacy of individuals involved, we have redacted information concerning potential criminal and administrative violations.

Specifically, the public version will not contain the following:

• facts or references to matters that have been referred to the U.S. Attorney;
• information regarding potential criminal and administrative proceedings that, if disclosed, could compromise the integrity of future investigations and adjudications of other enforcement agencies, both federal and District;
• information that could create an unwarranted invasion of privacy to individuals subject to these inquiries;
• information that might impair the business reputations of private entities; and
• confidential information pertaining to law enforcement sources and procedures.

Beginning March 29, 2002, the OIG website will provide access to the public portions of the report at www.dcig.org. Alternatively, requests for mailed copies can be made by calling my Office at (202) 727-2540.

The public portions of the report will include the following:

• Executive Summary;
• Predication;
• Scope of the Investigation;
• Perspective of the Mayor and His Staff;
• Legal Framework for Analyzing Fundraising Activities;
• General Findings, Recommendations and Referrals for Action.

We trust that this report and the actions taken by responsible District leaders will assure residents that their government is accountable and responsive to public concerns. If you have questions, please feel free to call me directly at (202) 727-2540.

Sincerely,
Charles C. Maddox,
Inspector General 

CCM/gj 
cc: See Distribution List

DISTRIBUTION:
All District of Columbia Council members
Mr. Kelvin Robinson, Chief of Staff, Office of the Mayor
Mr. John A. Koskinen, Deputy Mayor and City Administrator
Ms. Grace Lopes, Special Counsel to the Mayor
Mr. Robert Rigsby, Corporation Counsel, Office of the Corporation Counsel
Dr. Natwar Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Herbert J. Huff, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Tax and Revenue
Ms. Cecily E. Collier-Montgomery, Director, Office of Campaign Finance
The Honorable Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., United States Attorney, Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
Mr. Mark Dubester, Assistant United States Attorney, Office of the U.S. Attorney
Ms. Elaine Kaplan, Special Counsel, U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Mr. Charles O. Rossotti, Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C. Delegate, House of Representatives ( 1 copy)
Mr. Jon Bouker, Office of the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton (1 copy)
The Honorable Joe Knollenberg, Chairman, House Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)
Mr. Jeff Onizuk, Legislative Director, House Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)
Mr. Migo Miconi, Staff Director, House Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)
The Honorable Chaka Fattah, House Committee on D. C. Appropriations (1 copy)
Mr. Tom Forhan, Minority Staff Director, Office of the Honorable Chaka Fattah (1 copy)
The Honorable Connie Morella, Chairman, House Subcommittee on D.C. Government Reform (1 copy)
Mr. Russell Smith, Staff Director, House Subcommittee on D.C. Government Reform (1 COPY)
Mr. Mason Alinger, Professional Staff Member, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Government Oversight (1 copy)
The Honorable Richard Durbin, Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Government Oversight (1 copy)
Ms. Marianne Upton, Staff Director, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Government Oversight (1 copy)
The Honorable Mary Landrieu, Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)
Ms. Kate Eltrich, Staff Director, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)
Mr. Stan Skocki, Legislative Assistant, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)
Mr. Charles Kieffer, Clerk, Senate Subcommittee on D.C. Appropriations (1 copy)