D.C. fires official in nude photo incident

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - A special assistant to acting D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso was fired Friday after nude pictures of her former lover were circulated around the D.C. Public Schools headquarters, sources said.

The employee, D'Wanna Lee, had reportedly been in a relationship with a staffer from Akridge, which manages the building, located at 825 N. Capitol St.

Lee did not respond to messages Tuesday. She had been paid a $92,700 annual salary under Reinoso and had previously worked for the Board of Education. Reinoso, who would not comment on Lee's departure, said Lee had worked on "issue areas" including special education.

Lee, whose permanent office working for Reinoso was located in the John A. Wilson Building, had also worked part-time at DCPS headquarters during the last couple of months as Mayor Adrian Fenty took over the school system, Fenty spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said.

Hobson said Lee's "employment was terminated" but would not confirm that her departure was in relation to Friday's incident. She said she had not seen any photos.

"I can only comment that [Lee's] last day was Friday," Hobson said.

Akridge spokeswoman Mary Margaret Hiller would not identify the employee. He is still employed with the company, she said.The photos reportedly featured the man lounging naked on a bed. It is not clear exactly who got the photos, but they were reportedly taped in bathrooms and various offices Friday. Building security officers destroyed the photos that were found.

The firing could prove a distraction for Reinoso. It comes a week after D.C. Council failed to schedule Reinoso's confirmation hearing. Chairman Vincent Gray said questions remained over the role he and his office would play in Fenty's schools takeover. Reinoso also has failed to fully respond to lingering questions by some council members over who was responsible for plagiarizing another school system's work and including it in a city education plan.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com

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