One of the District’s top building officials served time in federal prison on weapons charges and was charged with murder as a young man, according to law enforcement records.
Juan Scott, acting chief of the D.C. illegal construction enforcement unit, has been under investigation by the FBI since one of its agents and a developer accused him of conspiring to extort thousands of dollars from them.
As the head of the division responsible for ensuring that construction sites are working under the correct building permits, Scott, 53, wields enormous authority over D.C. residents and businesses. Scott carries a police-type badge and has the power to shut down projects and have homebuilders arrested for violating his orders.
But Scott has had his own trouble with the law.
In 1986, Scott and his cousin, D.C. police officer Clarence Scott, were arrested after authorities said they recovered about $100,000 worth of cocaine, $1,200 in cash and a weapons arsenal, including 17 rifles, 400 rounds of ammunition and a live hand grenade.
At the time, Scott was already on parole for a previous cocaine conviction and was on probation for possession of a machine gun. Scott was sentenced to five years for possession of an unregistered automatic weapon, purchase of a firearm and making false statements, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He served four years at prison in Allenwood, Pa., and was released in 1991.
In 1974, Scott was one of three men arrested and charged with murder in the death of Clayburn Kendricks, who was killed in the 4000 block of Hillside Road Southeast, according to law enforcement records. Authorities later dropped the charges against Scott.
Scott has not returned numerous messages left at his home and at work.
The District does not conduct criminal background checks on building inspectors, according to Office of Personnel spokesman Michael Rupert. Job applications ask only whether the prospective hire has been convicted of a felony within the previous 10 years. Scott was hired in 1999, 13 years after his conviction. With the exception of employees who have regular direct contact with children, the city does not have any rules that would bar hiring someone with felony convictions that occurred more than 10 years ago, no matter the offense.
Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs spokeswoman Karyn Robinson said she could not comment on personnel matters but said the agency is investigating the matter.
Scott had been on paid leave for more than a month after the extortion allegations surfaced last year, but he returned to work at the DCRA last week, Robinson said.
Developers Todd Zirkle, Vanessa Humphreys and her husband, FBI agent Kevin Humphreys, accused Scott of soliciting a bribe after Scott slapped a stop-work order on the friends’ construction site.
