Alleged Ethics Violations by a Senior DOI Political Employee
2020
19-0396
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
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Abbreviation
DOI
Agencies
Department of the Interior
Federal Agency
Yes
Location
United States
What to Report to the OIG Hotline
Anyone with information regarding fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or mismanagement involving the programs or activities of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) should contact the DOI Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline.
Please provide as many details as you can when completing our hotline complaint form. Without specific information, we may be unable to act on your concerns.
The DOI OIG has oversight responsibilities of DOI employees, programs, contracts, and grants, to include disclosures concerning the following bureaus and offices:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Bureau of Land Management
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
- Bureau of Reclamation
- Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
- Bureau of Trust Funds Administration
- National Park Service
- Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Office of the Secretary
- Office of Policy, Management and Budget
- Office of the Solicitor
- Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs
- Other Interior Offices
- DOI employees
- Employees of DOI contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and subgrantees
- DOI employees who feel their security clearance or access to classified information has been taken in retaliation for whistleblowing
What Not to Report to the OIG Hotline
- 911 Emergencies
- Tribal, State, and Local police matters (unless DOI funds are involved)
- Issues handled by other Government agencies such as the Office of Personnel Management, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Health and Human Services (to include Indian Health Care issues)
Hotline Page
Whistleblower Protection Page
Opportunity To Examine Email Access at the National Indian Gaming Commission
2020
19-0123
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
During a recent OIG investigation, we found that the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) has an internal policy that permits authorized senior staff to obtain access to employee emails to ensure “efficient and proper operation of the workplace,” or to search for “suspected misconduct.” We found...
Alleged Smuggling of Contraband by a National Park Employee
2020
18-0898
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
We investigated an allegation that a National Park Service (NPS) employee assisted inmates from a prison work detail to smuggle contraband into a Federal penitentiary.We determined that during the prison work detail at a national park, inmates—whose criminal histories included firearms- and drug...
Government Contractor Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for $3.7 Million Procurement Fraud Scheme
2020
15-0497
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
Mining Company Removed Coal From Unleased Land
2020
20-0127
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
The OIG investigated allegations that Bronco Utah Operations, LLC (Bronco), a coal mining company based in Utah, improperly removed Federal coal without a lease.We determined that Bronco trespassed into unleased Federal coal deposits that resulted in a loss of public revenues. The Bureau of Land...
Alleged Oil Theft Referred to BLM for Enforcement
2020
19-0688
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
We investigated allegations that an oil and gas company unlawfully removed oil from a Federal mineral lease, transported the Federal oil to a Wyoming State lease, and concealed both the production and the transfer of the oil from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).We determined that the alleged...
Alleged Bribery of a BLM Field Inspector
2020
18-1192
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
We investigated whether a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field inspector accepted bribes from an oil and gas exploration company operating on an Indian reservation in exchange for allowing the company to do business on the reservation. We conducted this investigation jointly with the Federal Bureau...
Oil and Gas Production Company Failed to Properly Report Oil and Gas Production
2020
18-0771
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
We investigated allegations that an oil and gas company improperly reported oil and gas production from Federal leases to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), which resulted in a loss of public mineral royalties.We found the company failed to properly report production and mineral...
BIA Seasonal Firefighter Sexually Harassed and Inappropriately Touched BIA Employee
2020
19-0585
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
OIG Referred Allegations to ONRR for Possible Enforcement Action
2020
20-0294
Investigation
Department of the Interior OIG
Department of the Interior
We investigated allegations that an oil and gas company incorrectly adjusted oil and gas reporting and failed to apply the proper pricing for minerals produced from leases in New Mexico, potentially resulting in a loss of royalties.We determined that the alleged conduct occurred outside the 5-year...