El Paso auditor does further analysis of council members’ use of gasoline cards; information being withheld for now  

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The City of El Paso's Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon said his office has recently completed an additional gasoline card purchase analysis for council members. It includes prior years 2020 and 2021.

But it is unclear if Calderon has shared the report with local law enforcement, or if he plans to provide them a copy.  

Disclosure of the new report came to light at a Financial Audit and Overnight Committee (FOAC) meeting held on Thursday, July 20.   

El Paso City Representative Art Fierro, who is a member of FOAC, questioned Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon about why the recently completed gasoline card analysis was not on the July 20 agenda.   

Rep. Art Fierro: “Aren’t we pending another audit for the years 2020, and 2021?”  

Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon: "Yes, sir. Those, uh, have been completed, uh, as you recall I did brief the entire FOAC committee on that."  
 
Rep. Art Fierro interrupted - “But, I didn’t see it on the agenda.”  

Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon: “Yes, sir, I have not released that report, yet.”  

Rep. Art Fierro: “Oh, okay.”  

Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon: “We’ve had a limited distribution on that thing; it’s been referred.”  

Rep. Brian Kennedy: “Mr. Gonzalez?”  

Juan Gonzalez with the El Paso City Attorney’s Office: ”If I, if I, could chime in, uh, it was, uh, provided to the FOAC members in your capacity as the FOAC before it was forwarded, um, you know, to other entities, who, you know, maybe, um, undertaking a ongoing investigations so until that, uh, investigations are completed the information will remain limited to the FOAC members and of course, Mr. Calderon.”  

Rep. Art Fierro: "And my question was, just, um, I know we had been briefed, and then I didn't see it on the agenda, and, um, I hadn't gotten a response on what happened or why so thank you for the answer."  
 
In an interview on July 20 with Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon, ABC-7 asked Calderon about the 2020 and 2021 gasoline card analysis, and what the next steps are.    

Calderon told ABC-7 the reports that have been finalized have been forwarded to the appropriate parties.  

When asked if law enforcement will get copies of the finalized report Calderon said, “At this point in time I'm not at liberty to say."  

The further gasoline card analysis comes after the City of El Paso’s Internal Audit Office completed a gasoline card report for the 2022 calendar year, which included gasoline usage by former and current council members, and the mayor.   

In early May, El Paso City Mayor Oscar Leeser told ABC-7 the 2022 audit found inconsistencies in the usage of taxpayer-funded gasoline credit cards that are provided to city council members for city-related business. 

According to the 2022 audit, two city council members, including former District 6 Representative Claudia Rodriguez and current District 3 Representative Cassandra Hernandez, purchased the most gasoline compared to their peers in 2022.   

The 2022 report was forwarded to the El Paso Police Department. El Paso police investigators said they were unable to find anything criminal in their investigation of the matter.  

ABC-7 reached out to the FBI's El Paso Field Office asking if it is investigating the El Paso Police Department’s handling of the gasoline case, along with current council members’ gasoline usage.   
 
In a May 31 email, FBI Special Agent Jeanette Harper responded with, “Per DOJ Policy, the FBI cannot confirm or deny the existence of FBI investigations.”  

The taxpayer-funded gasoline cards are issued to members of council and the mayor.  The council and mayor were given the cards for city-related business, not personal use.  

Interim El Paso City Manager Cary Westin recently terminated the use of the gas cards by all elected officials, according to El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser.

Leeser said the free gasoline given to city officials ended because of the recent 2022 audit that he says showed inconsistences in gasoline card usage.