Former Dallas City Employee Charged with Bribery in Exchange for Ignoring Code Violations

DALLAS – Daelena Howard, a former employee of the City of Dallas working in the Code Compliance Services Department, was arrested on bribery charges on March 26, 2026. Following her arrest, the city confirmed that she was placed on leave and is no longer with the city.

According to arrest documents, Howard approached Oscar Rivera, the owner of a local business, on September 27, 2025, and informed him of multiple code violations. She proposed to keep his business clear of the city’s code enforcement database in exchange for a monthly payment of $290, which Rivera agreed to. Over several months, Rivera transferred a total of $700 to Howard’s personal Zelle account, with his business remaining absent from the violation database. FOX 4 has attempted to contact both Howard’s and Rivera’s attorneys, but there has been no response yet.