Mealer Takes $35,000 In Donations From Executives Linked To Illegal Dumping & Fraud
Alexandra del Moral Mealer, the Republican candidate for Harris County Judge, has promised to “restore ethics and bring back good governance.” That promise appears to be at odds with the tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions that she has accepted recently from two top executives at a highway construction company that paid hefty fines for illegal dumping in Houston waterways and paid out a settlement related to a decades-long fraud scheme.
What you need to know:
Who are the donors?
James “Doug” Pitcock is the CEO and sole shareholder of Williams Brothers Construction. Pitcock killed a woman—and injured her young son—while recklessly operating a boat. He paid $750,000 to settle the case. Here’s the Houston Chronicle with more context on what caused the woman’s death: “Pitcock lost control of the boat, which was traveling at a high rate of speed, and it hit the creek bank and went airborne approximately 100 to 150 feet. Pitcock remained in the boat as it careened through a stand of large trees, but McCormick and her son were ejected from the boat before it came to rest.” He donated $25,000 to Mealer earlier this summer.
Robert Lanham, the President of Williams Brothers Construction. He has served as the company’s president since the Reagan Administration. He donated $10,000 to Mealer this summer—on the same day that Pitcock’s $25,000 check came in.
Why do these donations raise ethics implications for Mealer?
Pitcock played a direct role in a decades-long scheme in which Williams Brothers Construction got federal highway dollars by pretending puppet companies they created were minority subcontractors. As the U.S. Department of Justice explained:
“A Texas highway construction firm has agreed to pay the United States $3 million to resolve claims that it knowingly violated the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise contracting requirements on federally-funded Texas highway construction projects …. The program provides a vehicle for increasing the participation by women and minority businesses in state and local procurement. Houston-based Williams Brothers Construction Company agreed to pay the government to settle False Claims Act and administrative claims involving the illegal exercise of control over two concrete-supply companies… [and] also settled claims that it violated the law by claiming DBE contracting credit for lease expenses.”
And here is the Houston Chronicle on Pitcock’s direct role in the scheme:
“...Pitcock asked two of his Hispanic workers if they would like to become a company. Williams Brothers sold the men equipment it had been using to mix concrete, loaned them part of the money for the purchase and co-signed on loans for the rest. The men did business exclusively with Williams Brothers.”
A Harris County Grand Jury indicted Williams Brothers Construction on claims of illegally dumping “caustic” toxic materials, including both concrete sludge and oil waste, into Houston waterways. The company shelled out $500,000 in settlement dollars in a deal with the Harris County District Attorney that allowed it to avoid felony prosecution.
Will Mealer return the $$$? The Harris County District Attorney returned a donation of $2,500 from Mr. Pitcock after the original felony indictment against William Brothers Construction. Given Mealer’s commitment to “ethics” and “good governance”, Houston Watch emailed to ask whether she would return the $25,000 from Pitcock, the $10,000 from Lanham, or both. Mealer didn't immediately respond to the request for comment.