Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)

I am pleased to submit the Amtrak Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to the United States Congress for the six months ending September 30, 2021. For the past six months, Amtrak continued its recovery after its ridership plunged—losing 97 percent at one point—at the onset of the...

This report communicates considerations for company management if it reinstates the annual physical exam requirement for locomotive engineers, which the company suspended in August 2021 in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Prior to the suspension, we found that about one-third of locomotive...

An Amtrak service/train attendant based in New Orleans was terminated from employment on October 29, 2021, following her administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by failing to report an April 2019 drug-related arrest as required by company...

An Amtrak supervisor based in Philadelphia resigned from his position on October 25, 2021, following the issuance of our investigative report. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by falsely claiming and accepting payment for regular pay, overtime pay, and...

Judy Azar, a medical assistant based in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, on September 24, 2021, to health care fraud, bank fraud, identity theft and tax fraud. Our investigation found that Azar participated in a scheme to defraud health care benefit...

John Flores, a former Amtrak reservation sales agent based in Riverside, California, pleaded guilty on September 29, 2021 in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, to theft from programs receiving federal funds. Our investigation found that Flores stole hundreds of eVouchers valued at...

Phong Hung Tran, a licensed physician and surgeon in the state of California, was sentenced in United States District Court, Southern District of California, on September 13, 2021, to time served, two years’ probation and 12 months of home confinement for conspiracy to commit honest services mail...

Kevin Nelson, a resident of New York, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, on August 30, 2021, to Aggravated Identity Theft for his involvement in an Amtrak eVoucher scheme. Nelson and his co-conspirators used stolen credit card and personal information to make...

An Amtrak Specialist based in Philadelphia was issued a letter of warning on May 4, 2021, for violating company policies by admittedly posting inappropriate and offensive images on her Facebook account that publicly identified her as an Amtrak employee, in violation of company policy.

A Yard Conductor based in Washington, D.C., was terminated on April 29, 2021, for excessive consecutive days of absence without authority. The employee was arrested on April 6, 2021, and remained in custody for at least a week on several charges. The case is pending in the United States District...