Felony indictments dropped against Barbie Robinson, former Harris Co. public health director

HOUSTON - Four felony indictments against former Harris County Public Health Director Barbie Robinson have been dismissed, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office says.

Robinson charged in connection to contracts

The backstory:

Last year, then-DA Kim Ogg announced charges against Robinson in connection to an alleged bid rigging scheme. The scrutiny came over how county contracts were awarded to IBM and DEMA Management and Consulting. 

Robinson was charged with misuse of official information, tampering with a governmental record, and two counts of fraudulent securing of document execution.

Dig deeper:

Barbie Robinson, former Harris County Public Health executive director, charged 

Indictments dropped

On Friday, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare’s Office announced that charges were dropped following a review of the case.

What they're saying:

In a news release, the district attorney’s office said, "After an exhaustive review of the evidence concluded by career prosecutors, the HCDAO has determined that the State cannot prove any of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt and that pursuing this case is not in the interests of justice. Among the reasons: 

• There is no evidence that Robinson obtained any tangible personal or monetary benefit from how these contracts were awarded. 
• There is no evidence to prove that there was any attempt to deceive, coerce, defraud, or harm the county by Robinson through the contract award process.  
• The investigation determined that Robinson’s previous relationships with IBM and DEMA were well-known and not actively concealed during the contract award process. In fact, when Robinson was hired by Commissioners Court to serve as Director of Public Health in Harris County, she was expected to implement programs similar to those she implemented in Sonoma County, where she previously served as health director."

In a statement, DA Teare added, "Public corruption robs communities of trust in their government and undermines the basic foundations of our democracy. That is why prosecuting public corruption must be done vigorously and with the utmost integrity — devoid of politics, innuendo, or speculation. Our thorough, unbiased review of this case reveals that this prosecution failed to meet that standard. The people of Harris County deserve to know that when we go after corrupt public officials, that our work is grounded in hard evidence, not stretched legal theories or preconceived outcomes. Moving forward, we ask the public to continue to remain vigilant and report any allegations of public corruption. We will uphold our end of the bargain by making sure we follow the evidence and let justice – not politics - be our guide."

What's next:

The district attorney's office says leadership has scheduled meetings with the Harris County Purchasing Department and Auditor’s Office to "offer support to improve and add transparency and clarity to the County’s procurement process."