City workers fired, resign over alleged thefts

A number of long-time city employees have been fired or have resigned after allegations of theft over the last year.

The thefts range from city time and materials to a bag at the airport.

Alan Barragan worked in the city’s Information Technology Services Department and was investigated for taking paid leave from his job without having earned it.

The city’s Office of Municipal Integrity questioned Barragan during a videotaped session.

"I've always put in my time,” Barragan said on the videotape. “This time I forgot and God forgive me that I forgot."

He had worked for the city for 18 years and had been in charge of filling out his own timesheets.

But the city found he took paid leave he had not earned totaling more than 68 hours. He was terminated.

Another employee investigated was McKinley Gibson, a security guard at the Alamodome.

When Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3 came to the Alamodome, tickets at the box office were selling for around $40.

In one complaint to the city, a woman named Victoria said she bought nine tickets for the show on Craigslist for $20 each from a guy calling himself "Rob." When her group went to the show the tickets she bought were invalid.

A woman named Desiree bought tickets from the same man as well from Craigslist. They were also invalid.

A city investigation found their tickets were the same ones that had been reported missing at the Alamodome.

And "Rob" turned out to be Gibson, whose tattoos and cell phone number matched the description of the Craigslist seller.

"Tickets come in the office,” Gibson said in his taped interview with city investigators.

“We have cameras. I'm in the security office. People are in there all the time, how can I take tickets?"

Regardless of that statement, he resigned.

Maria Quintero, a 14-year city employee at the Botanical Gardens, was also investigated for the theft of a sprinkler.

"It's not like I'm stealing,” Quintero said during her taped interview. “It's still in the truck."

Quintero said she took two sprinklers from the Botanical Gardens to keep them from being stolen, but said she did not steal them.

"Because I'm afraid to lose my job,” Quintero said. “Yeah. That's the main thing." She resigned.

Another example of where a long-term city employee lost a job and benefits because of a poor decision occurred at the airport. There, a maintenance worker found a bag and evidence showed that instead of turning it in, she kept it.

Security video caught the theft by Aurora DeLeon. The bag included a laptop computer, iPod and two watches. DeLeon admitted pawning them for $190.

She and the others lost good jobs because of momentary weaknesses.