State Auditor now investigating city’s settlement with CMPD chief

CHARLOTTE — State Auditor Dave Boliek is launching an investigation into the Charlotte City Council’s settlement with CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings. Boliek sent a letter to Mayor Vi Lyles on Tuesday afternoon.

“While answers to some of the more pressing questions could be provided through quick release of information from your office, which I strongly encourage, there remains a list of unknowns regarding the potential settlement or payout to the Police Chief. On behalf of the citizens of North Carolina and the nearly one million people who call Charlotte home, the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor will be investigating this matter,” Boliek said in the letter. “The Office of the State Auditor will be asking how much money has reportedly been paid, whether a payment exists, where did money for a payment come from, and several other pertinent questions. Even if the payment was worth one penny, it should be disclosed to the public in a timely and transparent matter. There is no tax dollar free from public scrutiny.”

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Interim City Attorney Anthony Fox has not released the settlement information. Councilmember Tiawana Brown posted on Facebook that the settlement is $300,000, but the city has not confirmed that figure.

“Constituent requests and recent reporting involving the Charlotte City Council have raised serious concerns regarding the potential disbursement of public dollars outside of the public view,” Boliek said. “It is my understanding there is a possibility that as much as $100,000 to $300,000 in public dollars may have been given to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings for a legal settlement that may have been entered into by the City Council. This is only what has been gathered by the Auditor’s Office from news reports, social media, and conversation. The truth of the matter remains unclear.”

The city of Charlotte’s attorney, Anthony Fox, released a statement regarding this new development, saying:

“We have received the letter and will work with the State Auditor while adhering to all applicable laws. As previously stated, we intend to release all relevant public records allowed by law.”

Channel 9 broke the news of the secret settlement by the Charlotte City Council. Sources said it stemmed from former Councilman Tariq Bokhari’s quest to land outer carrier vests for officers and text messages he sent to Chief Jennings at the time.

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