Feds raid Community Action Agency in Bond Hill

CINCINNATI - The FBI conducted the raid on the Community Action Agency on behalf of the Department of Energy's office of the Inspector General.

Agents with the support of the Cincinnati Police Department put the building on lockdown. A family member of one of the employees told 9 News that employees were herded into a room and not permitted to leave.

"There were a lot of police cars and a lot of FBI agents," said Saundra McBride.

McBride works for a cleaning company that has a contract there.

"I couldn't get in the building. They said nobody in, nobody out," explained McBride.

The CAA is a non-profit agency that helps low-income families and adults with a variety of services including employment, early childhood education, and utility bills.

The CAA released a statement Friday, it reads in part, "We are looking into the allegations internally and are cooperating fully with officials. This is an isolated matter pertaining solely to the weatherization department and does not affect any of CAA's other programs."

Cincinnati City Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan sits on the CAA board and says the agency also receives federal money to help clients with energy efficiency for their homes.

"I believe there are stimulus funds that came to the agency that have been used for home weatherization," said Quinlivan.

Quinlivan and Councilman Wendell Young were asked to sit on the board by Mayor Mark Mallory a year ago.

"My main concern is that the agency is able to continue to function and serve people the way it has for a good period of time," Young said.

The Department of Energy's spokesperson Felicia Jones said that they "can confirm that our agents were involved in a search warrant at the Cincinnati Hamilton County Community Action Agency. However, we have no further comment at this time."