Bacarra Mauldin, former interim CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority, has been fired by the agency. The decision was made by acting CEO of John Lewis and backed by MATA’s board of commissioners.
“This action follows an internal investigation which concluded that Ms. Mauldin violated MATA’s Procurement and Travel Policy, and did not take sufficient steps to ensure compliance among her direct reports,” a statement from the agency said. “These findings represent a serious breach of the standards and expectations we uphold for all MATA leadership and staff.”
Earlier this month, officials revealed that a “preliminary review of FY24 General Administrative expenses,” which showed that out of $9.9 million, $848,000 was spent in discretionary spending. This included $603,000 in sponsorship of the Memphis Grizzlies and $144,000 in “other AMEX purchases.”
Officials said this did not include charges for travel and meetings.
“We asked for detailed statements of that, had to do some digging with American Express — the agency at the time did not have itemized monthly bills, which was not a best practice to say the least,” Lewis said. “After we received itemized statements going back the last couple of years, we found within those purchases, seemingly non-business-related purchases.”
Lewis said these included $5,000 in payments via PayPal and Venmo, $7,000 in purchases at BestBuy, $10,000 in party equipment rental, $30,000 in customizable purchases, and $1,200 in Montblanc purchases to name a few.
He added that they brought this to the attention of the city auditor, and as a result the state comptroller has been notified. Lewis and his team has been advised to seek outside counsel for a more thorough investigation.
At the time, officials said “the former leadership that had possession of the AMEX card has been placed on administrative leave.”
“While personnel matters are typically confidential, we acknowledge the public interest in this situation, given the leadership role involved,” MATA said in a statement. “ Our focus moving forward is to ensure stability, restore trust, and continue providing safe, reliable, and equitable transit services for the people of Memphis.”
Mauldin was named interim CEO following the retirement of former CEO Gary Rosenfeld in February 2024.
