A whistleblower suit claims ‘waste and wrongdoing’ by Shapiro administration over mansion renovations

A whistleblower lawsuit accuses Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration of bypassing procurement requirements meant to safeguard the use of taxpayer dollars, including during renovations to the governor’s mansion, and firing a staffer who raised concerns.

The administration waived competitive bid requirements after purchases were made, split transactions to bypass the threshold requiring bidding process, and kept paying a security contractor who no longer provided service, the suit says — claims a spokesperson for Shapiro rejected.

The federal lawsuit is the latest in the controversy surrounding the security upgrades and renovations to the state-owned governor’s residence in Harrisburg and his personal home in Abington Township, after man firebombed the mansion on the first night of Passover in 2025 while the governor and his extended family were asleep inside.

The attack prompted more than $33 million in security upgrades to the mansion, in addition to $1 million in upgrades and landscaping to Shapiro’s Montgomery County home, where he and his family live part time.

This work was largely done through the state’s emergency procurement process that allows agencies to the skip lengthy bid protocols, as officials took quick action to strengthen security.

But the overall cost and questions over whether the correct processes were followed led to scrutiny by Republican lawmakers. The project at Shapiro’s Abington residence also led to a property dispute with his neighbors, who filed a federal suit against him that led the Shapiros to sue in return. Those lawsuits are ongoing.

Nicole Moyer, a procurement specialist with the state Department of General Services, claims in the federal lawsuit filed last week that after she repeatedly raised concerns about the “waste and wrongdoing” by the agency, she was fired.

Moyer, 49, has been working in procurement since 1995, first in the Army and later at the Pennsylvania State Police and various Pennsylvania state agencies, according to the complaint. She joined the Department of General Services in 2023.

Rosie Lapowsky, Shapiro’s press secretary, said in a statement that the allegations “by a disgruntled former employee who was dismissed from her position” are “totally and completely false.”

The suit filed in the Middle District of Pennsylvania against the state also names the Department of General Services and former General Services Secretary Reggie McNeil, along with other officials from the agency that oversees the state’s purchasing, construction, and facilities. Shapiro is not a named defendant.

Mark Schwartz, a Delaware County attorney representing Moyer, said he hoped Shapiro will be deposed as part of the litigation.

“The question is how involved, if at all, was the governor in terms of the residence procurement process,” Schwarz said.

In her role as a procurement specialist, Moyer would not have been aware of details about the emergency procurements for the governor’s residence project, Lapowksy added. Shapiro’s administration complied with “all relevant procurement policies,” she said.

“PSP identified necessary security improvements based on its assessment and issued an emergency declaration consistent with the procurement code in the fastest, most efficient, and most cost-effective way to complete the work and ensure the safety of the governor and his family,” Lapowsky said.

The whistleblower lawsuit claims the administration flouted bidding requirements and made purchases outside of existing contracts, often to meet specifications provided by Shapiro’s interior designer, de la Torre Design Studio.

The firm had been quietly hired to renovate the official residence by Team Pennsylvania, a Harrisburg-based nonprofit that operates the public-private partnership between the state and private businesses. Shapiro has come under scrutiny previously for utilizing the group to watch the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl and for other trips, Spotlight PA reported.

de la Torre had been working on the governor’s mansion before the fire, and asked for a specific brand of lighting fixture for the design.

The Department of General Services deemed the $456,000 purchase too expensive, the suit says, and didn’t budge when the supplier revised the cost to $380,000.

But after the fire, the costly lighting fixtures were installed without any competitive bid or paper trail that would allow the purchase to be audited, according to the complaint.

Similarly, a $17,000 carpet was purchased and partially installed before procurement’s approval and outside existing contracts for carpets and floorings, the suit says.

Time and again, through other examples detailed in the lawsuit between the April 2025 fire and her March termination, the Department of General Services had to issue waivers after the fact to “clean things up,” the suit says.

Moyer also questioned overlapping payments for the security monitoring companies for Shapiro’s residences, the home of Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, and regional offices, with one company not providing services for months, the suit says.

“Nonetheless, the proposed emergency job order contract that included provision for private residences was processed under the same umbrella as state facilities without bidding” the complaint says.

The residences aren’t the only place Moyer says the administration fell short of the procurement requirement.

Earlier this year, the suit says, General Services approved a $20,000 lactation pod for the Capitol even though a $4,950 option was available under an existing contract. The only difference between the pods was “outer fake ‘woodgrain’ decal,” according to the complaint.

“Plaintiff questioned the rationale for paying substantially more for a minimal aesthetic modification,” the suit says. “Plaintiff was overruled.”

Moyer was terminated in March after repeatedly reporting concerns, including on whether the department could legally make purchases for private residencies, the suit says.

Moyer, a registered Republican from York County, filed her suit just weeks ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, where Shapiro, a Democrat, is seeking a second term.

Lapowksy said the suit was “clearly timed” to hurt Shapiro politically.

McNeil left his post as secretary of the Department of General Services in August. Shapiro appointed executive deputy secretary Sandra Aguilera to serve as acting secretary.