A Scandalous Tale of the City of Amarillo, the FBI, and the Traffic Engineer Who Left the Country

Ask anyone of driving age who lives in Amarillo, Texas what the most frustrating thing is on the road. Chances are, you'll hear lamentations of ill-timed traffic lights.

While Buchanan and Pierce streets are a smooth, synchronized glide through Downtown Amarillo, you'll be hard pressed to name any other stretch of road that offers the same cascading luxury of lights.

The answer to such a problem would surely lie with the city's traffic department. But it may be that the traffic department hasn't quite shaken off the uproar from a decade ago.

What uproar, you ask? The uproar caused by the discovery that an international criminal fled a federal investigation in Florida and hid in the City of Amarillo's traffic department....and then left the country altogether.

To Good To Be True

In December of 2010, City of Amarillo officials announced that they had found the perfect candidate to head the traffic department in the new year. With an impressive resume and an unusual interest in relocating to the sparsely populated High Plains--city officials counted their lucky stars that Jihad K. El Eid would be the new traffic engineer.

As traffic director of Broward County in southern Florida, El Eid was an undeniable expert of urban planning. His skill-set of designing traffic routes through densely-populated cities such as Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Pompano Beach was a sign of potential and progress for the City of Amarillo officials.

A Smooth Transition, Then An Abrupt Notice

Jihad El Eid left his position in Florida and took the reins of retiring Traffic Engineer Taylor Withrow. The transition was a smooth one, and by all accounts, he settled into the routine of working at the City of Amarillo.

However, in June 2011, rumors began to swirl around El Eid regarding his time in south Florida. No sooner had the whispers begun did El Eid hand in a leave of absence in July, stating his father was ailing in his home country of Lebanon. He boarded a plane and that would be the last time the City of Amarillo would see El Eid.

A phone call from El Eid's lawyer confirmed the rumors: the traffic engineer was a person of interest in an FBI investigation centered around corruption in Broward County. The investigation hinged on upwards of $3,000,000 of taxpayer money falling in the hands of El Eid.

Following the news, the whispers grew to murmurs.

A phone call from El Eid's brother, Waleed, shared the news that Jihad had suffered a heart attack following the death of their father in Lebanon.

According to investigation done by the Amarillo Globe-News, the City of Amarillo extended El Eid's unpaid leave through August 22, 2011. The scant communication roused suspicion with officials and they turned to El Eid's apartment complex for any answers.

The manager of the Renaissance Apartments told officials that El Eid had paid for July but that check had been returned because the account was now closed. When they made entry into the apartment, they discovered that the man had cleared out all of his belongings, save for rotting food still in the refrigerator.

In a note to city officials, the manager stated that she had found she "found his keys to the apartment, the complex security gate and his mailbox on a counter in the apartment." and was declaring the lease abandoned.

Finally, on August 26, city officials announced the termination of Jihad El Eid from his position as traffic engineer.

Problems, Problems, and More Problems

Officials at the city stood by El Eid's performance up until termination.

Then-Assisstant City Manager Vickie Covey told the Globe News that El Eid did not let the city know he would not return, nor did he turn in a resignation.

“While he was there (in Lebanon), we knew he had the medical issue and was in the hospital,” she said. “We heard about that. ... It was just a failure to return to work.”

But it soon surfaced that the FBI had spoken to El Eid in July, regarding his connections to a sprawling investigation that entailed corruption, bribery, and extortion in Broward County. Soon after his visit with the FBI, El Eid caught a plane out of the country.

In the media fallout following the news of federal agents' interest in El Eid, it came to light that officials in Broward County had not been contacted prior to his hiring. The City Manager himself was puzzled at how El Eid had slipped past the four-person hiring committee and stated he would personally address the oversight himself.

The Outcome

Jihad El Eid was formally charged in connection with the massive federal investigation in January 2013. Also charged was his brother, Waleed.

The two men are considered fugitives from justice and are thought to reside in their home country of Lebanon. El Eid's attorney, Fred Haddad, stated that he had no idea where his client was, nor had he heard from them.

Two co-conspirators of El Eid were convicted and sentenced to federal prison.

And the City of Amarillo were the first to review their hiring practices and enacted several changes to their policy.

In an interesting turn of events, one thing that Amarillo drivers may thank El Eid for is the introduction of the flashing yellow arrow turn signal.

Note from the editor: This is the fourth installation in a series revisiting Amarillo's scandals. You may read other stories here.