Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) OIG

Leslie Ezidore, a resident of Los Angeles, California, and owner of the now-defunct Irvine Wellness Pharmacy, was sentenced on July 24, 2023, in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, to 6 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution of $12,715,679...

An Amtrak Electrical Journeyman based in Miami, Florida, resigned from his position on May 16, 2023, prior to his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by engaging in outside employment while on a medical leave of absence.

This report offers the OIG’s perspective relative to fraud risks facing the company as it continues its expansion into large-scale acquisitions and infrastructure programs. If history is any indicator, funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—like other large spending bills—will be...

An Amtrak Lead Customer Service Representative based in New Orleans, Louisiana, resigned from her position on June 1, 2023, following the issuance of our investigative report. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by accepting cash kickbacks from a private...

Peter Port, a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, pleaded guilty on May 10, 2023, in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud. Port owned and controlled Safe Haven, a substance abuse center, which was purportedly in the business of...

Florida residents Jean Barbier and Bryan DeCastro were sentenced on April 5, 2023, in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. DeCastro was sentenced to 11 months in prison, 3 years’ probation, and was ordered to pay $155,929 in restitution to Amtrak...

Colby Frazier, a resident of Long Beach, California, was sentenced to 30-months in prison on charges of Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, on June 21, 2023, for his participation in a "phishing" scheme in which he fraudulently obtained...

Keith Kovaleski, a former Amtrak Assistant Foreman, based in New York, was sentenced to 10 months’ home confinement in U.S District Court, District of New Jersey, on July 12, 2023, for marketing and distributing over $3 million worth of misbranded and unapproved new drugs. On July 11, 2023, his...