In February 2020, Channel 2 News (click-2-houston.com) reported that Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis was secretly storing a massive, privately-owned African art collection in a refurbished Harris County maintenance shed. Commissioner Ellis was even shown on surveillance video giving personal tours of the art collection to his friends and family. When the media repeatedly asked Commissioner Ellis to explain the matter, Ellis was (and remains) evasive, to include who actually even owns the art collection. So, we have an evasive elected official using a taxpayer-funded county facility to store a private art collection (owner unknown), with no rental agreement, no rent being paid/collected, and no taxes paid on the inventory? Given all the irregularities, the Harris County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Unit launched an investigation in late February 2020. As of October 4, 2021 (yes, 18 months later), the D.A.'s investigation is reportedly still not complete. In addition, the art collection is STILL being stored, at taxpayer's expense, in that county maintenance shed.
Money Laundering Scheme gone wrong