The whistleblower behind the allegations against Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management claims they were subjected to signing illegible documents and forcibly searched when a manager’s wallet went missing, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.
In an investigation with the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the unidentified man said he and four others were illegally detained and held in a conference room with a police officer outside the door for hours. The employee claimed the team was ”ordered to empty their pockets, forced to waive their rights to representation, and forced to submit a written statement.” One of the employees was told no one was able to leave the room
when asked to use the bathroom.The allegations prompted an investigation into OIG, with Director Yolanda Broome and Supervisor DeValory Donahue being named specifically.
Accusations also include the whistleblower being forced to sign illegible documents and providing OIG with a faded employee statement, form, and statement of Garity rights. When Broome instigated the illegal investigation, the employee said he was “traumatized.”
Since the investigation launched on September 23, 2024, the five staff members of the watershed department pursued whistleblower protections in a letter sent to state and federal prosecutors on March 3, according to Atlanta Civic Circle. The letter, also forwarded to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council, pushes allegations of fraud, the misuse of public funds, and ethics violations, including those of city contracts and improper city expenditures.
Whistleblower laws protect government employees from prosecution or retaliation practices for reporting fraud, misuse of public funds, and ethics violations internally. Deputy Inspector General Shelby Williams, who was listed as a letter signee, resigned the same day the letter was sent.
Some of the summarized probes date back to 2023,
including allegations that the Department of Watershed Management used “cheap and inadequate valve boxes” for water lines. Another claimed a high-ranking Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department official used equipment and property owned by the city for a private safety business. In addition, a Parks and Recreation Department official allegedly used a city contractor to install a fence at their private residence; the contractor’s invoice was altered so it looked like the fence was built for a city park.Another probe focused on Atlanta’s unsuccessful attempt to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, claiming an improper city
council donation of $500,000 to a group trying to secure the city’s bid when the city code only allowed donations to charity nonprofits. In a statement from Dickens’ office, the letter was labeled as an “attempt to tarnish the names and reputations of not only city employees but private citizens and social service organizations.”RELATED CONTENT: Body Of Beloved Atlanta Teacher Found After Month-Long Search At Lake Oconee