DeSoto City Councilwoman Candice Quarles held a brief news conference Thursday afternoon to address recent allegations and her future with the council.
With her attorney, her pastor and supporters at her side Quarles made one thing clear to those who demand she resign or face recall.
“I will not be stepping down,” she said. “Our work is not done.”
Quarles has been called to resign or face a recall after it was alleged she benefited from her husband's theft of tax dollars.
Quarles said she did nothing wrong and will not step down from her position on the DeSoto City Council.
She added that she took a polygraph last year and that she passed every single question about her husband's activities.
The Dallas Morning News, in July, found Quarles benefited from at least half of the $9,000 her husband Jeremiah illegally charged to a city credit card while he headed DeSoto’s Economic Development Corporation.
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“Jeremiah admitted he made a mistake. He pleaded guilty to the charges. Be assured he has taken full responsibility for his actions by repaying the DeSoto Economic Corporation in May of 2019,” she said.
Quarles’ own husband told detectives she knew of at least one fraudulent transaction he made with public funds.
Quarles claims investigations have cleared her of any wrongdoing, adding she took a polygraph test which her attorney refused to release publicly on Thursday.
The lawyer did not reveal what questions were asked or how Quarles answered the questions -- but asserted the examiner said she showed no sign of deception.
Attorney Anthony Lyons says his client was asked ‘if she knew that her husband was making payments with city funds on her behalf. Mrs. Quarles passed every single answer.”
The press conference ended quickly with Quarles and her attorney refusing to answer the many questions that persist.
Quarles did not comment on her husband's behavior. Her attorney urged anyone with questions about what Mr. Quarles did to ask him and not his wife.
