CLEVELAND, OH — A Cleveland city finance manager has been demoted after an investigation found he violated a number of policies, including accessing porn while on the clock.
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The findings were laid out in a seven-page letter obtained by News 5 Investigators. In it, Andre Reynolds, at the time an administrative manager in Cleveland's Department of Finance, was found in violation of a number of city policies.
That included three occasions between May and June in which the city says Reynolds "viewed x-rated material at work."
According to a city spokesperson, Reynolds claimed the websites downloaded automatically when he logged on to his personal Google account using the city's computer. The spokesperson said Reynolds "also noted his lengthy tenure as a City employee with no prior disciplinary history."
"Despite these explanations and mitigating factors, the City determined the employee's misconduct was unacceptable, egregious, and warranted serious discipline," the spokesperson said.
But the investigation didn't end there.
It also cited a repeated pattern of absenteeism and tardiness by Reynolds, finding 13 different days this year where Reynolds entered the employee parking garage late — after a forensic report showed he accessed porn on his phone earlier that morning.
Reynolds' boss wrote that the report "reveals at least a partial explanation for your pattern of tardiness was that you were watching pornography in the morning."
Personnel records show Reynolds has worked for the city since 2010.
Among his jobs was managing employees' travel expenses.
The investigation found Reynolds also used his city credit card to reserve a rental car for his sister's personal use.
The city says Reynolds did not pay for the car using the card, but it still constituted an unauthorized use of city resources.
Reynolds was terminated as a result of the findings, but then allowed to stay with the city under a last chance agreement.
Under the terms, Reynolds will be demoted and have his pay cut from more than $100,000 a year to $70,000, working as a contract compliance officer for the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
As part of the agreement, Reynolds also expressly waived his right to appeal the demotion.
So why make a deal with a man whose now-former director wrote Reynolds' conduct "breaches the trust essential to your position"?
In a statement, a city spokesperson wrote in part, "The decision imposes substantial discipline and definitive consequences while avoiding the expense, uncertainty and potential disruption that prolonged litigation may bring - which was a real possibility given the fact he retained an attorney."
The spokesperson said the demotion, salary reduction and conditions of the agreement "ensures accountability while safeguarding taxpayer resources.
"The resolution does not excuse or minimize the seriousness of the employee's misconduct; it imposes tangible punishment and establishes clear disciplinary outcomes for any future misconduct while limiting the City's exposure to financial harm or other adverse consequences that may come at taxpayers' expense," the spokesperson said.
The city also said it discussed the matter with an outside law enforcement agency that specializes in internet crimes, "who ultimately determined there was no evidence that a crime occurred."
The attorney listed as representing Reynolds in city records has not returned a message left seeking comment on the investigation and findings.
The city says Reynolds is scheduled to begin his new job next Monday.
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