U.S. Attorney Lowery on bribery charge against ex-city worker: 'This prosecution should send a clear message'

A former City of Houston employee entered a guilty plea in response to a bribery charge, according to reports from Houston-based media outlets. 

Sixty-two-year-old Barry Barnes faces 10 years of imprisonment for his alleged role in a kickback scheme when he was an administrator in the Houston Health Department. 

The plea comes nearly eight months after Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at the department’s offices, Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported.

According to KTRK, the FBI looked into allegations arising from improper employee conduct. 

The department subsequently placed Barnes, who worked for the city for 15 years, on administrative leave, the station reported. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office accused him of collecting several cash payments from the scheme between November 2019 and March 2021 while on the municipal payroll, KTRK reported.

Per Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, federal investigators allege Barnes took bribes from three businesses. 

“This office has an unyielding commitment to attack public corruption at any level,” U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery said, KHOU reported. “The people of the Southern District of Texas deserve an environment in which public officials are held to the highest standards. This prosecution should send a clear message that we will find and hold accountable any public official who abuses the public trust.”

KHOU reported that the city was cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Attorney Michael Wynne, who’s serving as Barnes’ legal counsel, sent KTRK a statement vouching for his client. 

"Mr. Barnes has been a loyal public servant for many years,” Wynne said in the statement. “This has been an unfortunate series of circumstances.” 

Sentencing for Barnes is slated for January 2023.