A whistleblower lawsuit accuses Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration of bypassing procurement requirements meant to safeguard the use of taxpayer dollars, including during renovations to the governor’s mansion, and firing a staffer who raised concerns.
The administration waived competitive bid requirements after purchases were made, split transactions to bypass the threshold requiring bidding process, and kept paying a security contractor who no longer provided service, the suit says — claims a spokesperson for Shapiro rejected.
The federal lawsuit is the latest in the controversy surrounding the security upgrades and renovations to the state-owned governor’s residence in Harrisburg and his personal home in Abington Township, after man firebombed the mansion on the first night of Passover in 2025 while the governor and his extended family were asleep inside.
The attack prompted more than $33 million in security upgrades to the mansion, in addition to $1 million in upgrades and landscaping to Shapiro’s Montgomery County home, where he and his family live part time.
This work was largely done through the state’s emergency procurement process that allows agencies to the skip lengthy bid protocols, as officials took quick action to strengthen security.
But the overall cost and questions over whether the correct processes were followed led to scrutiny by Republican lawmakers. The project at Shapiro’s Abington residence also led to a property dispute with his neighbors, who filed...
BOISE―An Athol man has been sentenced to probation for insurance fraud after claiming vandals damaged an SUV that was already damaged when he bought it, the Idaho Department of Insurance said in a...