In a blast from the past, former Health and Human Services Inspector General Doug Wilson and his wife are in the news again.
Resigned on Friday
Frianita Wilson resigned last Friday from Child Protective Services after her husband’s former agency concluded that she had been involved in a conflict of interest over contracts she managed with a non-profit that had hired her husband. The contracts were worth a $100 million.
Dates back to 2014 and 21CT scandal
You might recall that after Doug Wilson resigned back in December 2014 at the request of then-Governor Rick Perry over the 21CT scandal, his wife who was a purchasing official Child Protective Services was put on administrative leave. That leave lasted for a year while she was investigated for conflict of interest in bringing the 21CT fraud detection software to that department. Those allegations were unfounded.
However, not this time.
Finding of conflict of interest by husband’s ex-agency
Back in March, she was again put on administrative leave because she was involved in contracts with the Round Rock-based nonprofit A World For Children, which provides foster care services and had hired her husband. An investigation by the HHS IG concluded that she did have a conflict of interest – ““F. Wilson’s actions were inconsistent with her training as well as established HHSC and DFPS policies and the investigation shows both an appearance of impropriety and an actual conflict of interest.”
While she tendered her resignation, she told the Statesman that she and her husband were still being targetted over the 21 CT scandal.