The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into the possible unlawful use of revenue at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport based on an article published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The news story, which was published on AJC.com in late June, details how the city paid three law firms more than $7 million to respond to federal subpoenas from a grand jury investigating corruption at Atlanta City Hall.
RELATED CONTENT: AIRPORT AND CITY HALL
- Atlanta’s legal bills related to corruption probe top $7.5M, AJC finds
- Atlanta audit points to city’s awarding of Hartsfield-Jackson contracts
- Former airport exec says Reed’s brother involved in key meeting
Some of that money came from airport funds and the article quoted experts who raised questions about whether it was spent lawfully. Airport funds must only be spent on capital and operations expenses at the airport, according to FAA regulations.
“While we recognize that legal expenditures are permissible under certain circumstances, this article raises questions that the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Office of Airport Compliance and Management Analysis (ACO) must address,” wrote Kevin C. Willis, the director of the compliance office, in a letter dated July 26.
The letter, obtained by the AJC on Thursday, is addressed to Balram Bheodari, Hartsfield-Jackson’s interim general manager.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENT: SEE THE LETTER
RELATED CONTENT: SUBPOENAS
· Atlanta bribery probe: When has the city received federal subpoenas?
· Failure to release subpoena may have broken Georgia records law
· Reed withheld subpoena aimed at airport in Atlanta bribery probe
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.