Posted on 11/19/2007 7:44:15 AM PST by SmithL
MEMPHIS — The FBI is investigating a computer programmer’s claim that a city subcontractor owes him $79,440 for work he did for the city.
Bala Karri said he’s been unable to get Reginald French — a close friend of Mayor Willie Herenton — to pay him for software work he performed on city computers.
French, who owns a technology firm, denies the allegation.
After months of wrangling behind the scenes, Karri took the dispute public with an e-mailed plea to members of the City Council, and now the FBI is asking questions.
Agents have asked about Karri’s e-mails in recent weeks and have expressed interest in French’s subcontracting job with the city as well, two sources familiar with the inquiry told The Commercial Appeal.
Karri said last week he never wanted to go to the council but did so after French repeatedly ignored his requests for payment.
“I wanted them to be aware ... and hopefully to take a righteous action,” said Karri, a Dallas-based computer consultant who performed work on behalf of French’s firm, Integrate Technologies.
French, a minority business owner, said any questioning of his city subcontracting job has racial and political motives.
“He was paid for his services. If he feels differently he needs to go to civil court and sue me,” French said.
Invoices sent to the council show Karri’s firm, Shrichakra Consultancy Services, provided two programmers who Integrate Technologies, in turn, used on city computers under its contract with ACS, a Dallas firm that runs Memphis’ information technology services under a $50 million contract. Those invoices show outstanding payments owed between November 2006 and February of this year, when Karri said he severed his relationship with French and ACS.
City Councilwoman Carol Chumney, who was among those who received Karri’s e-mail and who has explored French’s city subcontracting role in the past, said she’s unsure if the council can help Karri, who may have to look to the courts for help.
However, she said the development only underscores her sense that French has made a good living at city expense.
“He’s a middleman it seems,” Chumney said. “He’s made a lot of money off the city.”
French left a city administrative post in 1997 amid a sexual harassment investigation before starting his computer technology firm. He landed a city subcontract in 2004 through ACS. Records show that contract paid French’s Integrate Technologies more than $1 million in its first two years.
Last year, Chumney asked the city to investigate payments it had made to French’s company after the company received more than $1 million in business with the city over the previous 18 months.
Chumney asked in a written statement that the Herenton administration produce records demonstrating “whether or not the (selection) process was aboveboard.”
Herenton has said he’s never helped French win city business.
shrichakra, the “Wheel of Shri” (i.e., of God's shakti), which is composed of four isosceles triangles with the apices upward, symbolizing Shiva, and five isosceles triangles with the apices downward, symbolizing Shakti.
Let's see if I can figure this out.
French, a Black guy, gets a city contract just because he is Black and doesn't know one thing about how to fulfill the contract. He hires Karri's company to do the work and keeps the city money for himself and calls Karri a racist when he complains about not being paid.
I think you nailed it!
Well of course it's racial because moniorities could never commit unethical business practices.
Minority owned businesses are the LAST people I try to do business with for just these kinds of reasons.
With a name like Ingrate Technologies what could he expect?
Hey, it has worked before.
“Minority owned businesses are the LAST people I try to do business with for just these kinds of reasons.”
My step-dad is a revenue officer with the state tax commission. He does a lot of business in the “minority-owned” arena just south of Memphis.
French, a minority business owner, said any questioning of his city subcontracting job has racial and political motives.
This will be easy to prove. Kari just needs to show his timesheets that had to be approved by the city timetracking system and the invoices he submitted to French that match up to those timesheets. French will have to show payment.
Translation: "I've already spent the money, so even if he wins in court, he ain't gettin' a dime."
Karri didn't work directly for the city so it'll be unlikely that they were logging his hours. That's also why the city council can't offer him relief. He's going to have to sue the hustler, French.
Well, I'll BUY from them, but trying to get paid from them is like pulling teeth. Not cost effective at all.
“Well, I’ll BUY from them, but trying to get paid from them is like pulling teeth.”
Hence my step-dad’s “business”. He is a state tax revenue officer. They pretty much have to be threatened into paying their taxes and often even that doesn’t work. Not real big on filling out necessary forms and paperwork, either.
If the city was diligent, and the sub was covering his butt, the supervisor of the job signed time sheets.
French, a Black guy, gets a city contract just because he is Black and doesn't know one thing about how to fulfill the contract. He hires Karri's company to do the work and keeps the city money for himself and calls Karri a racist when he complains about not being paid.
I dunno.... That's really a stretch.
/sarc
By the way, I’m pretty sure this “Bala Karri” is just peed that he’s not getting his cut of the corruption. I guess there’s no honor among government thieves.
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