“The U.S. Attorney’s Office has no pending criminal investigation involving the mayor,” said Joshua Stueve, director of communications for the office.

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Herring said his office investigated three potential theories: whether city funds were used to construct the church; whether there was evidence of city employees leveraging their official positions to get better prices from contractors; and whether there was any evidence of a quid pro quo arrangement in which city vendors may have been offered city contracts in exchange for better prices on work at the church.

Only one theory led investigators to persuasive evidence: that Adediran had attempted to use his position with the city to obtain favorable pricing from vendors working with the church.

Likewise, investigators found that Jones almost certainly knew of Adediran’s efforts, despite his denial.

Investigators found an email from a member of the church team to Jones and his son outlining concerns about the budget of the construction project and Adediran’s promises to find savings using his city contacts.

“As you know, Emmanuel said he could save us roughly $500,000 based on relationships he has with vendors he worked with in the City,” the email said.