Kansas City energy projects come under FBI investigation

“They asked if I was suspicious of anything and I said, ‘Just wasteful spending, I couldn’t understand it,” DeLuccie said. “Something’s going on- but I don’t know how it’s going on.”

The two projects cost Independence taxpayers more than $10 million dollars and DeLuccie and Roberson were against the expenditures.

The Missouri City Power Plant, located in a desolate area, was deemed safe by the EPA and did not need to come down. A majority of the city council, with the exception of Roberson and DeLuccie, decided to move forward with the project anyway.

The city council, with the exception of DeLuccie and Roberson, selected Environmental Operations Inc. to do the job. The company bid the project at twice the cost of the low bidder.

Last year, DeLuccie and Roberson became further suspicious of the projects after a year-long 41 Action News investigation exposed several issues leading up to the votes.

Shortly after the piece aired in November 2018, an FBI agent began asking questions about the projects, according to a source within city hall.

“But for your [41 Action News] reporting, that six or seven minutes a year or so ago, that changed the tide of everything,” DeLuccie said.

DeLuccie said she’s been frustrated for years with the decisions made on behalf of her fellow city council members.

Now, as it appears the FBI is broadening the scope of its investigation to include more witnesses, DeLuccie said she hopes the FBI will bring clarity to the people of Independence.