Charges dropped against former Harris County Public Health executive

HOUSTON, Texas – The Harris County District Attorney’s office announced Friday that charges have been dropped against former Harris County Public Health Director Barbie Robinson.

On November 15, 2024, Robinson was charged with misuse of official information, a third-degree felony. Three additional felonies were charged on December 23, 2024 - tampering with a governmental record, a second-degree felony, and two counts of fraudulent securing of document execution, a first-degree felony.

• Charges filed against ex-Harris County Public Health executive director who was recently fired

The charges stemmed from an investigation into how county contracts were awarded to IBM and DEMA Management and Consulting.

According to former District Attorney Kim Ogg, her office’s investigation revealed a prior relationship Robinson had with IBM during her tenure in Sonoma County, and alleged emails suggested collaboration for a public contract in Harris County.

Now, newly elected District Attorney Sean Teare said that “after an exhaustive review of the evidence concluded by career prosecutors, his office determined that the State cannot prove any of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt and that pursuing this case is not in the interests of justice. Among the reasons:

• There is no evidence that Robinson obtained any tangible personal or monetary benefit from how these contracts were awarded.
• There is no evidence to prove that there was any attempt to deceive, coerce, defraud, or harm the county by Robinson through the contract award process.
• The investigation determined that Robinson’s previous relationships with IBM and DEMA were well-known and not actively concealed during the contract award process. In fact, when Robinson was hired by the Commissioners Court to serve as Director of Public Health in Harris County, she was expected to implement programs similar to those she implemented in Sonoma County, where she previously served as health director.

“Public corruption robs communities of trust in their government and undermines the basic foundations of our democracy. That is why prosecuting public corruption must be done vigorously and with the utmost integrity — devoid of politics, innuendo, or speculation,” said Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare. “Our thorough, unbiased review of this case reveals that this prosecution failed to meet that standard. The people of Harris County deserve to know that when we go after corrupt public officials, that our work is grounded in hard evidence, not stretched legal theories or preconceived outcomes. Moving forward, we ask the public to continue to remain vigilant and report any allegations of public corruption. We will uphold our end of the bargain by making sure we follow the evidence and let justice – not politics - be our guide.”

Harris County Politicians React

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis reacted to news of charges being dropped against Robinson saying “There’s a special place in hell for Kim Ogg”.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo responded saying, “public servants who challenge the status quo, especially people of color, [are] being targeted with political prosecution...”

Ogg’s Response

The former DA meanwhile, maintained her sentiments toward Robinson’s case, via a statement on her Facebook page, calling Teare’s dismissal in part “a deliberate obstruction of justice.”

Ogg also called on the FBI to launch a full, independent investigation into the matter.