Missouri auditor launches investigation into St. Louis building division following federal indictments 0%
By Kavahn Mansouri63%
3/26/2026, 8:20:55 PM
Topics: Government Politics And Issues
BS Summary: This article contains 6 faulty reasoning types, including Overconfidence Bias, False Dilemma, and Appeal to Emotion, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 10.9% saturation with 41 hits. Analysis detected 207 faulty-reasoning hits from 376 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 0% and a BS Rank of 0% (0 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 100.00% of the article peer group.
St.
Louis’s troubled building division will face a state audit just a week after a former building inspector was indicted.
Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced the audit on Thursday, saying that his office found evidence of improper governmental activity after the federal indictment broke last week.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors revealed the indictments, alleging former St.
Louis building inspector Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola steered $1.6 million in funds meant for the repair of decrepit city buildings to himself and members of his family.
Popoola was indicted in U.S.
District Court in St.
Louis on three counts of wire fraud related to money he obtained from the city's Prop NS and Stable Communities STL programs during his time as a building division inspector.
Prosecutors said of the 59 contracts awarded to the Stable Communities STL program, Popoola steered 13 toward Farst and 10 to Premier.
As for the Prop NS program, of the 144 contracts awarded, Popoola moved eight to Farst and 23 to Premier.
Fitzpatrick’s office says the investigation was prompted by whistleblower complaints, a public request by former St.
Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and media reports regarding Popoola’s ties to construction companies that received large contracts from the city
"While the city's building stabilization program was shut down last year and a former building inspector is now facing charges for stealing more than $1.6 million, there are still many questions about what happened that only an audit can answer.
The people of St.
Louis want and deserve the truth about how this was able to happen and the city needs to know how to ensure it can't happen again," said Auditor Fitzpatrick.
Mayor Cara Spencer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The auditor’s office says outside of Popoola’s alleged crimes, it has also identified building inspectors soliciting charitable donations while on city business.
"With our audit we will look not only at the millions that moved through the building stabilization program, but at the division overall and the work it does.
If the alleged wrongdoing proves to be true, our audit can make recommendations that will help the city minimize the risk of fraud and abuse in the future."
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