KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The plaintiff in a Missouri lawsuit accusing Kansas City of running a contracting system that discriminated against men and white people pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and mail fraud in a federal case kickback scheme tied to demolition contracts.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced on Wednesday that she is suing the city in federal court over its Minority and Woman Business Enterprise Program. The program sets participation goals for minority and women-owned businesses.

Charles Cacioppo Jr. and his business, Industrial Salvage & Wrecking Co. Inc., are named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit alongside Hanaway. A receptionist at the company said Thursday that Cacioppo would not comment on the lawsuit.

Cacioppo’s criminal history could undercut a central element of Hanaway’s claims about unfair contracting, which Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called politically motivated.

Hanaway praised the business in her lawsuit, saying the company’s “commitment to clients is as unwavering as its vision statement: ‘We wreck anything and we love what we do.’”

The lawsuit says the company has won competitive city bids in the past, but Cacioppo wants to compete, “in a system that does not consider the race or sex of the bidder.”

Asked Thursday about using Cacioppo’s allegations in the case, Isabelle Bryson, a spokesperson for Hanaway, defended the decision.

“Our plaintiff is still entitled to equal treatment under the law and basic civil rights regardless of a non-violent mistake he made 25 years ago,” Bryson said.

“As to our lawsuit, we reiterate that all Missourians should be treated fairly no matter their sex or race, and the Attorney General will continue to protect citizens from blatant discrimination,” she said.

Cacioppo’s conviction raises questions about whether Hanaway’s office vetted its plaintiff.

Pat McInerney, a Kansas City attorney and former federal prosecutor, said background checks are essential before filing a lawsuit.

“You don’t want to buy yourself more problems with your plaintiff than you need to,” McInerney said. “Proving a case is hard enough. You don’t need that sort of added baggage.”

Scheme led to prison time

Cacioppo was indicted in November 2003 on 38 counts in federal court, along with four co-defendants, in a kickback scheme involving work at Rockhurst University.

The indictment alleged Cacioppo sent invoices to a Rockhurst University employee for demolition and asbestos abatement work that inflated costs or billed for work that was never done.

The indictment details a pattern in which Rockhurst University issued checks to Industrial Salvage and Wrecking, the checks were deposited into the company’s account and, days later, Cacioppo wrote checks from the business account and cashed them at a local bank.

Some of the money was then paid to the Rockhurst employee, according to the federal indictment.

The indictment said two companies tied to Cacioppo received about $1 million from May 1998 through June 2001, including the company named in Hanaway’s lawsuit.

On June 1, 2004, Cacioppo changed his plea and agreed to plead guilty to 18 counts, according to court records. He was later found guilty on another count at trial.

The charges included conspiracy, bribery and mail fraud, according to the court records from the case.

Cacioppo was sentenced in December 2004 to 20 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $49,500 in restitution.

Rockhurst also filed a civil lawsuit in December 2003. A judge ultimately ruled against Cacioppo, ordering him to pay $50,000 in restitution.

—The Star’s Kacen Bayless contributed to this report.

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