LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An investigator hired to investigate the former TARC director accused of sexual abuse, said a lack of due diligence led to problems at the agency.
David Beyer, a former FBI agent hired by Metro Council presented his findings to the Government Oversight Committee Tuesday night.
His full report was previously released last month.
Beyer said he interviewed 70 people this past year and found there wasn’t any proper vetting when Ferdinand Risco was hired in February 2017.
“The was abundant negative information out there involving Mr. Risco that would have caused anyone with any reasonability to question whether he was the right fit for TARC,” he expressed to the committee.
Beyer said a previous investigation done by TARC placed blame on Risco but the board had an obligation to oversee the director, including his spending.
An excerpt from Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's office reads,
"As the Mayor has previously said, there were serious and troubling problems with TARC's previous Executive Director, including financial wrongdoings and behavior against women that can never be tolerated. There can be no question that Ferdinand Risco’s conduct was despicable. When these allegations came to light, the Mayor immediately initiated a thorough investigation, demanded Risco’s resignation, appointed a strong interim leadership team and launched a national search that resulted in the hiring of an extremely capable and experienced permanent director."
It is affirming to see that most of Mr. David Beyer’s recommendations, outlined this evening at a Metro Council hearing, align with those made by previous audits and reports already implemented by TARC in the wake of Risco’s 2020 firing.
During the meeting, Councilman Anthony Piagentini said Metro Council needs to set more expectations for the boards of some government agencies.
He later posted on Twitter that he’s planning to present legislative changes to stop future abuse.
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