After agreeing to a plea deal on Tuesday, a former Houston Public Works employee who is accused of giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to a family member’s company will spend ten years behind bars.
Last year, Patrece Lee, a former Houston Public Works maintenance manager, was accused on four charges of bribery and misuse of governmental authority. She is accused of using her job to transfer over $400,000 in public funds to her brother’s company, LCI Construction.
Lee is one of seven individuals, including her brother, who have been charged with crimes related to the conspiracy.
At Houston Public Works, Lee was the only one in charge of confirming the details of possible vendors. After Houston City Council approved $80 million in 2023 to hire outside assistance to repair water line breaches brought on by a severe drought, suspicions were raised, as KPRC first reported.
Investigators also think she encouraged her department’s contracted suppliers to use her own business, KB3 Construction, for consulting work. According to court records, she allegedly selected novice businesses to seek kickbacks in order to assist them get paid more quickly or land larger contracts down the road.
In order to get contracts from the city, at least four vendors paid Lee or her business directly. The purported kickbacks had a total value of almost $320,000.
Houston Public Works’ chief operations officer, Randy Macchi, stated last year that the department will start making sure that several parties are involved before proceeding with any upcoming emergency purchase orders.
As the department’s chief operational officer, Randy Macchi, stated last year, “there will never be a situation where one person and one person alone is the only author and verifier of the truth being submitted.”
RELATED: A former Houston Public Works employee faces corruption charges in a $700,000 water line repair project.
She will spend ten years behind bars as part of the plea agreement. According to KPRC, the plea agreement is in return for her testifying against other offenders.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told reporters outside the courtroom on Tuesday, “I am really pleased with this outcome and I think it sends a message about how serious we take these types of cases.”
