Former MRA employee and contractor arrested for corruption

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that a former Midtown Redevelopment Authority employee and two contractors were arrested on public corruption charges.

Todd Edwards, the former real estate executive accused of “improperly” using his oversight of multimillion-dollar agency landscaping funds for his own benefit, and agency contractors Veronica Ugorgi and Kenneth Jones were charged with “stealing and misusing approximately $8.5 million in MRA public funds.”

“The scheme by Mr. Edwards and his co-defendants to steal and misuse this money has now resulted in first-degree felony charges against each of them,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said at a news conference Friday. “All of these charges are punishable by life in prison. Unfortunately, our tax dollars, which were supposed to improve the lives of Houstonians, were spent on flashy cars, nice homes, luxury living, travel and pornography.”

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For years, residents complained that the agency’s original goal of clearing Third Ward lots to create affordable housing was not going according to plan. The lots remained vacant for years and were covered in overgrown vegetation despite major landscaping contracts. Residents pointed the finger at Edwards, and in early October 2023, the Houston Office of the Inspector General released a letter saying an investigation had found that Edwards had improperly used his position to enrich himself and contractor Cortez Landscaping.

The MRA fired Edwards on May 31, 2023, over allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a contractor. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office opened an investigation into Edwards in November 2023.

In a statement, the MRA said the allegations made today are “completely contrary to the values ​​and principles by which the MRA operates.”

“The MRA has taken comprehensive steps to improve all financial and procurement controls to ensure public confidence and implementation of the affordable housing program,” the MRA said.

The agency had provided all materials from its internal investigation to the district attorney and other authorities – and finally referred its investigation to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in November last year.

“This criminal activity will not be tolerated,” Mayor John Whitmire said at Friday’s press conference. “My office, the Office of the Inspector General and all of our department heads have been informed that we will not tolerate this.”

“And I would like to add that we have already discussed the process of reviewing all TIRZs in the city of Houston,” he continued.

Since 2016, Third Ward residents Ed Pettitt and Brian Van Tubergen noticed that something was wrong with the MRA’s work in their community. After years of investigative work, Van Tubergen filed an official complaint with the Office of Inspector General in 2022, accusing Edwards of waste, fraud or abuse.

“It felt like we were fighting a brick wall the entire previous administration because no one was willing to hold the Midtown Redevelopment Authority accountable,” Pettitt said in an interview with The Landing. “I want to thank Mayor Whitmire and Kim Ogg for taking on this investigation and getting these individuals charged.”

Both men attended the press conference on Friday and Ogg described their work as a “Batman-Robin team.”

“I think the Midtown problem is just the tip of the iceberg,” Pettitt said.

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