Grant manager sentenced to over two years in prison for embezzling funds intended to serve Native Alaskans
Article Type
Investigative Press Release
Publish Date
Logo
Abbreviation
DOC
Agencies
Department of Commerce
Federal Agency
Yes
Location
United States
What to Report to the OIG Hotline
Commerce OIG maintains a Hotline for receiving allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or gross mismanagement in the Department of Commerce’s programs and operations, including any organization or entity receiving Departmental funds. The following is a list of examples of types of allegations that should be reported:
- Contract and grant fraud
- Environmental, health, and safety violations
- Computer crimes (including internet pornography)
- Product substitution and suspect/counterfeit parts
- Bribery, kickbacks, and gratuities
- False statements and false claims
- Conflicts of interest and ethics violations
- Travel fraud
- Theft or abuse of government property
- Gross mismanagement of funds
- Other violations of federal laws and regulations
What Not to Report to the OIG Hotline
Certain matters are better resolved through other channels, instead of the Commerce OIG Hotline. The following matters are NOT generally investigated by Commerce OIG:
- 911 emergencies regarding a Departmental facility or operation. Report to the local or state law enforcement authorities and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Security.
- Complaints of EEO discrimination and retaliation. Report to the Department of Commerce’s Office of Civil Rights.
- Personal theft. Report to Department of Commerce’s Office of Security.
- Personnel matters involving requests for individual relief. Report to the servicing Office of Human Resources Management.
- Employment related grievances or complaints against management officials unless part of a whistleblower claim. Report to the servicing Office of Human Resources Management.
- Assistance with the U.S. patent application process (e.g., initial filing, patent examination, and post-examination) and case prosecution concerns (e.g., claim objections, after-final practice, claim rejections and restrictions). Contact the Patents Ombudsman Office (https://www.uspto.gov/patent/ombudsman-program).
Whistleblower Protection Page
USPTO Should Improve Governance to Promote Effective Oversight of Its Artificial Intelligence Tools
2025
OIG-25-018-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
Our audit objective was to determine whether USPTO had an effective governance structure and processes in place to manage its AI tools. To meet our objective, we tested two of the six AI tools USPTO had in use when we began our audit. Overall, we found that USPTO has begun developing its AI...
NTIA Established the Innovation Fund Program but Needs a Plan to Ensure That the Program Meets Statutory Objectives
2025
OIG-25-017-I
Inspection / Evaluation
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
Our evaluation’s objective was to assess NTIA’s implementation of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund program. We determined the steps NTIA took to award and disburse program funds, the challenges NTIA faced while implementing the program, and the status of awards and disbursements. We...
Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Properly Disbursed Funds but Was Slow in Expending Fishery Disaster Assistance Funds
2025
OIG-25-009-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
Pandemic
We audited the Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER’s) use of Federal Emergency and Pandemic Relief Financial Assistance Funds. Our audit objective was to determine whether federal funds received by PRDNER to support its fisheries in recovering from the impacts of...
Broadband Stakeholders Identified Various Challenges Affecting Broadband Deployment
2025
OIG-25-014-I
Inspection / Evaluation
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is responsible for administering $48.2 billion provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for four different broadband programs, namely the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, the Middle Mile...
The Census Bureau Should Address Challenges from the 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey Ahead of the 2030 Census
2025
OIG-25-015-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
For our audit of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) results, our objective was to assess the validity of those results as they related to overcounts and undercounts. We found that I. Operational disruptions and mitigations in response to missing data increased uncertainty in...
The Census Bureau Did Not Develop a Workforce Plan to Address Field Representative Staffing Gaps
2025
OIG-25-013-I
Inspection / Evaluation
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
For our evaluation of the Census Bureau’s recruitment, hiring, and retention of field representatives (FRs), our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies the bureau uses to support its recruitment, hiring, and retention of employees in mission-critical positions. Specifically...
OIG's Evaluation of MEP's Economic Impact Reporting Process Also Identified Instances of Noncompliance at Centers, Led to NIST Action
2025
OIG-25-011-I
Inspection / Evaluation
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a national network of 51 MEP Centers—in all 50 states and Puerto Rico—providing any U.S. manufacturer with resources to improve production processes, upgrade technological capabilities...
The National Weather Service Should Further Strengthen Its Protection of Essential Operational Technology
2025
OIG-25-012-I
Inspection / Evaluation
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce
For our evaluation of the National Weather Service's (NWS's) protection of operational technology (OT), our objective was to determine whether NWS has implemented effective security controls for its critical OT. We found that I. NWS did not implement strong credential management for some OT systems...
2020 Census Contractor Agrees to Pay $8,000,000 to Settle Fraud Allegations
Article Type
Investigative Press Release
Publish Date