Rob Villalpando/Austin American-Statesman
An investigative report released Tuesday provides new details about two Austin technology officials whose March firings were first reported by the American-Statesman.
The Statesman reported in April that Austin had terminated three high-ranking technology employees after officials found that two were simultaneously employed by Dallas and that another had undisclosed outside business interests. The Austin Auditor’s Office investigation was already underway after a November 2025 anonymous allegation that two full-time Dallas employees had taken conflicting full-time jobs in Austin.
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“This was our first time having an investigation that had to partner so much with another city,” Brian Molloy, the Auditor’s Office chief of investigations, said, noting that he worked closely with Dallas to build the case.
Tuesday’s report found that Senior IT Enterprise Architect Hawre Sulaiman violated city code by doing Dallas work during Austin work hours and by failing to cooperate with investigators. It also details business ties between Sulaiman and his Austin supervisor, former Chief Information Security Officer Brian Gardner, who had consulted for and taken an ownership stake in a company founded by Sulaiman before participating in Sulaiman’s hiring.
Some of the report’s key findings include:
Sulaiman sent 47 Dallas emails during Austin work hours — about five times as many as outside Austin hours — and also offered availability for Dallas meetings and joined Dallas calls during Austin hours, investigators found.
The Auditor’s Office found Sulaiman failed to cooperate, saying he falsely denied seven times that he had done Dallas work during Austin hours and later would not proceed with a second interview under the city’s one-representative rule.
Gardner had accepted an executive role and a 5% ownership stake in a Sulaiman-founded company before sitting on Sulaiman’s Austin interview panels.
In January, while supervising Sulaiman, Gardner accepted employment and a 10% ownership stake in a second company partially owned by Sulaiman, investigators found.
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Sulaiman and Gardner did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both previously declined to comment, citing advice from counsel. Sulaiman previously provided a statement from an attorney saying he was not employed full time by both cities simultaneously and that “any allegation to the contrary is simply false.”
The Statesman reported in March that Austin terminated Sulaiman, Gardner and Senior IT Enterprise Architect William Snead. Employees with direct knowledge of the terminations told the Statesman that Sulaiman and Snead worked simultaneously for Austin and Dallas.
The auditor’s report does not identify Snead by name but notes that investigators said they found no evidence that an unnamed person from the anonymous tip committed a material city code violation. Austin Technology Services took “employment action related to that individual based on their evaluation of related policy violations,” according to the report. Snead could not be reached for comment.
Sulaiman’s overlapping work for Dallas and Austin
Investigators found Sulaiman remained employed by Dallas from his first day in Austin on Nov. 3, 2025, until he resigned Jan. 9. His Austin schedule was 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, while a Dallas IT executive said his Dallas role required daytime availability.
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Sulaiman repeatedly told investigators he did no Dallas work during Austin hours. Investigators said Dallas records showed otherwise, including the 47 emails, meeting availability and calls detailed above.
Investigators also found Sulaiman submitted an Austin secondary-employment disclosure after the investigation began and on the day he resigned from Dallas. He wrote that he performed Dallas work only outside Austin hours, which investigators said his records contradicted.
The Auditor’s Office also found Sulaiman failed to cooperate. Investigators said he falsely denied seven times that he had done Dallas work during Austin hours and later arrived for a second interview with three representatives after being told city rules allowed one. He refused to select one, and the interview did not proceed.
In a written response, Sulaiman disputed the findings. He said substantive Dallas work occurred in the evenings and during approved Dallas leave, while any daytime contact was minimal and did not interfere with Austin duties. He also disputed investigators’ interpretation that he could bring only one representative.
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Gardner’s business ties to Sulaiman
Gardner told investigators he began consulting for a company founded by Sulaiman in April 2025 and accepted an executive role and a 5% ownership stake in July.
Sulaiman applied the next month for an Austin position reporting to Gardner. Gardner sat on both interview panels, served as a reference and directed human resources officials to allow Sulaiman to waive a reference check, according to the report. Investigators said Gardner did not disclose their business relationship during the hiring process.
Gardner supervised Sulaiman from November until both were terminated in March. In January, Gardner accepted employment and a 10% ownership stake in a second company partially owned by Sulaiman, the report said. Investigators found he filed no secondary-employment forms with Austin for either company.
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Gardner disputed that he had accepted outside employment, saying the companies were proposed startups that generated no revenue and had no employees or active operations. He also said his supervisor knew about his proposed ownership interests.
The Auditor’s Office said Gardner’s written response contradicted statements he made during his interview, when investigators said he acknowledged accepting a chief strategy officer role and ownership shares. Documents Gardner provided identified him as chief strategy officer, showed he held 50,000 shares and described ongoing operational steps.
Investigators also said they found no evidence Gardner informed management of the business relationships. Of the three people who served on both Sulaiman’s interview panels, Gardner gave Sulaiman the highest combined score, according to the report.
A criminal probe in Dallas
Investigators found that Sulaiman’s Dallas supervisor also held an ownership stake and executive role in one of the companies co-owned by Gardner and Sulaiman. The supervisor did not respond to multiple interview requests.
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The city of Dallas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dallas police previously confirmed an open criminal investigation. In Austin, the matter was treated as an ethics and personnel issue rather than a criminal violation, a city spokesperson previously told the Statesman.
Molloy, of the auditor’s office, said he did not see a strong enough case for a criminal investigation and that proving a specific amount of stolen time or money could be difficult.