City still tight-lipped about raid at Cleveland City Hall
Engineering and Construction office searched on Dec. 6.
The city of CLEVELAND —
Cleveland declined Wednesday to discuss what action, if any, it has taken to address a criminal investigation that involved a raid by federal agents at Cleveland City Hall.
Agents from the FBI, IRS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development searched the city’s Engineering and Construction office in Cleveland City Hall on Dec. 6.
They seized documents related to Pioneer Engineering, a company owned by Khalil Ewais, who is an engineer for the city and section chief for construction inspection.
A week later, though, the city would not discuss what employment action it could take against Ewais.
Mayor’s spokesman Dan Williams said he could not comment on the case, which is being handled by federal investigators. No charges have been filed in the case.
In a previous statement Williams said that “the city policy is that all employees are entitled to due process. The city presently is evaluating how it will address this employee’s work assignments.”
Federal authorities have said they cannot discuss the case because court records are sealed. The city also declined to address whether this case is part of a broader corruption investigation or confined to the materials collected in the raid.
Among those materials were invoices and a 2015 contract for work by Burton Scot Contractors, a company based in Geauga County that specializes in asphalt installation and highway rehabilitation. The company has done business with the city of Cleveland for years.
In a statement earlier this week, Burton Scott said it is proud of the work it has done for the city and will fully cooperate with investigators. The company said it was unsure what investigators were looking for during the search but the company’s work was “competitively bid and competitively awarded,” according to a statement.
Neither Pioneer Engineering nor Ewais, the city employee, have publicly commented on the case.