Millions of tax dollars going to a company accused of racism. WRAL Investigates why the state still hasn't taken action

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A COMPANY WITH NEARLY

200 MILLION DOLLARS IN TAXPAYER

FUNDED CONTRACTS.

>> ACCUSED OF RACISM. THE STATE

INVESTIGATED THOSE ACCUSATIONS

AND FOUND THEY WERE TRUE.

WRAL INVESTIGATES ASHLEY ROW

HAS A TIMELINE.

>> THAT RAISES SERIOUS

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMPLAINTS

THAT CONCLUSION AND THE CASH

STILL FLOWING TO THE COMPANY.

>> I TOOK MY CONCERNS REGARDING

THE DISCRIMINATION. SHARON VICK

SAYS HIS EMPLOYEES WERE

TARGETED DURING CONSTRUCTION OF

THIS MEGA SITE IN RANDOLPH

COUNTY STAFF AND MANAGEMENT

WERE OPENLY REFERRING TO ME

AS I HAVE BREATHING OR AS THE N

WORD. DWIGHT ARMBRUST JUNIOR

SAYS HE WAS ONE OF THOSE

WORKERS. THIS EXPERIENCE IS

BY FAR THE WORST DISPLAY OF

RACISM THAT I EVER AND COUNTER

IN A PROFESSIONAL SETTING.

VICK'S COMPANY WAS HIRED AS

A SUBCONTRACTOR TO OVERSEE

SAFETY ISSUES ON THE SITE.

ALL THIS WAS REPORTED TO IS HE

DEAL T AND NOTHING WAS EVER

DONE ABOUT THE CONTRACTOR WHO

HIRE THEM. AMES CONSTRUCTION

WAS WORKING WITH A 17 MILLION

DOLLAR CONTRACT WITH THE STATE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

THAT'S NORTH CAROLINA. TAXPAYER

MONEY, ATTORNEY KNICKS ANSWER

VINO FILED THIS LAWSUIT AGAINST

AIMS AND THE DOT.

>> FOR FAILING TO PROTECT

VICK'S EMPLOYEES. HE SAYS THE

PROOF IS IN THE DOT IS OWN

INVESTIGATION. THEY'VE ALREADY

CONCLUDED A, YOU KNOW, AS THEY

WERE FOR IT SAYS THERE WAS A

LAWFUL DISCRIMINATION BASED

UPON RACE. THAT CONCLUSION CAME

A YEAR AGO, AS YOU CAN SEE IN

THIS DOCUMENT OBTAINED BY WRAL

INVESTIGATES.

THE FINDINGS. AMES CONSTRUCTION

ACTING AS AN AGENT FOR THE

NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF

TRANSPORTATION RACIALLY

DISCRIMINATED AGAINST VICK, HIS

COMPANY AND HIS EMPLOYEES AND C

DOT EMPLOYEES WERE INFORMED OF

RACIALLY DISCRIMINATORY

BEHAVIOR AND FAILED TO ACT

WITHIN THEIR OBLIGATIONS.

YEAH, WRAL INVESTIGATES FOUND

THE STATE STILL HASN'T TAKEN

ANY ACTION DESPITE DOT IS

RECOMMENDATIONS TO SANCTION

AMES CONSTRUCTION AND ONE OF

ITS OWN EMPLOYEES. IT ALMOST

SEEMS LIKE IT'S GIVING THEM A

CHANCE TO REALLY JUST BE ON

SUPER GOOD BEHAVIOR. AND THEN

THIS WILL ALL GO AWAY. WRAL

INVESTIGATES ASKED THE DOT

ABOUT THE LAWSUIT AND RECEIVED

THE STANDARD. THE NC DOT DOES

NOT GENERALLY COMMENT ON ACTIVE

LITIGATION. THEY DIDN'T ANSWER

OUR OTHER QUESTIONS LIKE WHY

ARE THE RECCOMENDATIONS TAKING

SO LONG TO APPROVE AND ONLINE

SEARCH FOUND AMES, ONE TO NC

DOT BEDS AFTER THE COMPLAINTS

WERE MADE 167 MILLION DOLLARS

CONTRACT LAST YEAR. AND ANOTHER

1.7 MILLION IN 2022. AND THAT

IS VERY DISAPPOINTING. BOTH.

PERSONALLY AS A YOU KNOW,

HAVING A GOVERNMENT THAT'S

SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING THE

NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESSES.

>> TAKING THIS LONG TO DO

ANYTHING OF NOTE. WE ALSO ASKED

THE DOT WOULD RECOMMENDED

PROBATIONARY STATUS HAVE

PREVENTED THEM FROM BEING

AWARDED ANOTHER CONTRACT.

>> NO RESPONSE.

>> BASED ON THE HIRING

PREFERENCE IS COMING IN.

THE MINORITY WORKER. WE CAME TO

A CONCLUSION THAT, YOU KNOW,

THIS WAS A SAFE SPACE THAT

WE'RE GOING TO BE JUDGED OFF OF

WORK PERFORMANCE AND NOT OUR

RATE BASE.

>> ASHLEY WROTE WRAL NEWS NOW.

LATE TODAY, AMES CONSTRUCTION

RESPONDED TO OUR REQUEST FOR

COMMENT IN A STATEMENT FROM

THEIR ATTORNEY, THE COMPANY

DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS IN THE

LAWSUIT. AMES DOES NOT TOLERATE

RACIAL HARASSMENT AT ANY OF

THAT SITES. AMES IS AWARE THAT

THE NC DOT IS CONDUCTING AN