UPDATE November 18, 2014 5 p.m. -- Helix Water District has responded to ECM's request for comments on the 10 News investigation. Helix contends that an independent inquiry as well as an in-house audit found no irregularities. You can read the Helix responses here.
View part 1 of the 10 News investigation here with links to documents and watch for part 2 airing tonight.
By Miriam Raftery
November 18, 2014 (La Mesa)—Whistleblowers are alleging that a Helix Water District inspector and a contractor conspired to overcharge ratepayers for work that was never done.
The district refused to be interviewed on camera about the allegations. However an investigation by JW August at 10 News, an East County Magazine news partner, found documents that appear to substantiate some of the claims made by the whistleblowers, employees who spoke under condition that their names not be publicized due to fears of retribution.
East County Magazine has contacted Carlos Lugos, general manager at Helix, for comments on the 10 News investigation. We also inquired whether steps are being taken by the District to assure that overcharges are not made in the future. plus we asked whether competitive bids were obtained for the projects in question. We will publish any responses once received.
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