Jack Evans Threatened Officials' Jobs: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — Former Metro chairman and D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans threatened the jobs of two top area officials, Metro General Counsel Patricia Y. Lee and board corporate secretary Jennifer Green Ellison, in connection with the high-profile ethics investigation surrounding him, according to a report.

The Washington Post reports that Evans "repeatedly berated" Lee and Ellison in the spring for working on an inquiry into ethics violations he is accused of committing.

Ellison reportedly claims Evans told her, "Be careful, you could be next" to be fired after Lee.

They were part of a pattern of Evans' attempts to limit the ethics inquiry and keep the findings secret, the Post reported.

Earlier this month, Evans agreed to pay a $20,000 fine in connection to an ethics probe which found he used his standing as a public official for personal gain.

Under the settlement, the District's Board of Ethics And Government Accountability ordered Evans to pay the fine by Aug. 8 and attend an ethics training session no later than Oct. 8. Evans' payment of the fine does not mean he admits to the charges, says the ethics board. The Ward 2 Democrat, however, does waive his right to proceed to an adversarial hearing in this matter. (See the full settlement document at the bottom of the story.)

The board's investigation centered on two emails sent by Evans' chief of staff in 2015 and 2018. In the emails, Evans sought outside employment with two local law firms and attached proposals outlining his business plans.

The board says it found "substantial evidence" that Evan violated the D.C. Code of Conduct by
"requesting his Chief of Staff to perform during regular working hours personal services on his behalf" not related to her job and knowingly used his standing as a lawmaker "for his private gain."

In March, Evans' fellow council members also reprimanded him for violating those rules.

The Board of Ethics And Government Accountability isn't the only agency to find Evans had used his public position for personal gain.

Evans is also at the center of a WMATA ethics probe.

Earlier this year, the board directed its ethics officer to investigate Evans over allegations that he used his powerful position as chairman of the Metro Board to get business for his private consulting work. The Board Ethics Committee later released a 20-page memo outlining Evans' violations.

In June, Evans resigned as chair of the Metro Board. That same month, the FBI raided his Georgetown home.

Jack Evans 19-0011-P Signed Negotiated Disposition and Order on Scribd

Statement Regarding Negotiated Disposition in Case #19-0011-P (Evans) on Scribd

SEE ALSO:

• FBI Raids Home Of Embattled DC Councilmember Jack Evans: Report
  
• Jack Evans Dodges Ethics Probe Questions At Meeting He Requested

Additional reporting by Alessia Grunberger/Patch