Investigators say materials collected via search warrants suggest a top aides to Harris...
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks to reporters at a July 2021 press conference in Houston. Three of Hidalgo’s top aides are under investigation for allegedly steering a since-canceled $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract to a local Democratic consultant.
, a felony, after the Hidalgo employees allegedly gave “an advantage to a competitor” in a bidding process by corresponding with Pereyra weeks before the county sought proposals for the contract Elevate ultimately won. Staff in the judge’s office, records show, discussed two distinct COVID-19 projects in the first weeks of the year: Seeking Pereyra’s help distilling COVID data for the judge’s review, and launching an effort aimed at boosting vaccine use in low-participation communities — the contract that Pereyra would later win.
When Hidalgo signed off on the data project days later, the file excluded that “outreach” language, but that verbiage still was in the text Nader then sent to Pereyra. “For a criminal violation, you need intent,” said former federal prosecutor Philip Hilder, who has reviewed the search warrants but has no involvement in the case. “It's not straight liability like the Rangers would have you believe. That is the issue. A lot more investigation needs to go into this.”
The day Dunn sent his email, however, records show Pereyra downloaded the procurement documents, then emailed a colleague, saying she had been invited to bid on the contract. The panel invited Pereyra, UT and a third firm back for interviews March 31, but UT did not show up and did not respond to inquiries for six days, emails show. UT Health representatives declined comment Friday.
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