FLINT, MI - The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are involved in a federal investigation into the Flint water crisis, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman from the U.S. Attorney's Office, confirmed Tuesday, Feb. 2, the additional federal resources involved in the investigation.
"The U.S. Attorney's Office is working with a multi-agency investigation team on the Flint water contamination matter, including the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, EPA's Office of Inspector General and EPA's Criminal Investigation Division," Balaya said.
FBI officials in Detroit and Flint could not be reached for comment.
Balaya confirmed Jan. 5, that her agency was working with the EPA to investigate the city's water contamination.
U.S. Attorneys, whose offices are organized under the Department of Justice, handle criminal prosecutions for the federal government, as well as non-criminal issues, such as civil rights violations.
The agency has declined to identify specifics of the investigation or any timeline associated with reaching a decision on the case.
News of the FBI's role in the case comes just a day before local and state leaders are expected to testify in front of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Elevated blood lead levels have been detected in some of the city's youngest residents after the decision to use the Flint River as the city's water source. The decision was made while the city was run by four separate emergency managers appointed by Snyder.
In October, the state Department of Environmental Quality acknowledged that it had failed to require the city to treat Flint River water to make it less corrosive.
Corrosive water also caused lead to leach from pipes and fixtures, and the number of children with elevated blood lead levels in the city more than doubled while the river was in use, according to a Flint pediatrician's study released in September.