Search warrants served at Harris County offices unsealed
HOUSTON - The search warrants served last week at Harris County offices in relation to a controversial $11 million COVID-19 communication contract have been unsealed.
The now-canceled deal went to a one-person company, Elevate Strategies, run by a political strategist with a limited track record that did not receive the highest scores in the bidding process.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo canceled the contract last year in the face of scrutiny, but D.A. Kim Ogg has been investigating whether laws were broken in the process.
RELATED: Harris County Commissioners unanimously vote to cancel controversial $11M contract
The court documents show that as part of the investigation, officials seized phones, laptops and desktops for Judge Hidalgo's deputy policy director, a senior advisor for public safety and emergency management, and Judge Hidalgo's current chief of staff.
The documents also outline the timeline in which the proposals for the contract were made and how the selection process was handled. They also illustrate the reasons Elevate was awarded the contract when UT Health's bid scored highest.
RELATED: Serious questions emerge around $11 million Harris County COVID-19 contract
The court documents show that as part of the investigation, officials seized phones, laptops and desktops for Judge Hidalgo's deputy policy director, a senior advisor for public safety and emergency management, and Hidalgo's current chief of staff.
Read the search warrants below. Mobile users, click here.