Federal Reports

This report represents our current assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration's programs and activities that pose significant risks, including those that are particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, error, mismanagement, or inefficiencies. The Challenges are not presented in order of priority, except for the COVID 19 challenge, which we address first in this report. We also view the other challenges as critically important to SBA operations.

OIG determined that two of the three challenges that impact the Agency ability to advance equal opportunity for all in the workplace. The challenges are customer service, data and technology transformation and modernization, and digital records management.

Edel Perez Acanda, a resident of Miami, Florida, was sentenced on October 16, 2023, in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, for Theft of Government Funds. Perez Acanda was sentenced to 2 months in prison, 3 years’ probation, and was ordered to pay $81,114 in restitution to Amtrak. Perez Acanda was employed by a company contracted by Amtrak to provide food services. Our investigation found that co-defendant Bryan DeCastro fraudulently altered the timecards of Perez Acanda and another individual to make it appear they worked more hours than they did, resulting in payment for hours they did not work. Perez Acanda then paid DeCastro kickbacks for falsely inflating the timecards.

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration decreased the number of auxiliary beneficiaries with missing or incorrect Social Security numbers on the Master Beneficiary Record.

We found that a company in Colorado failed to report production and pay royalties for oil and gas produced from Federal leases.

We found the fund’s financial statements, except for expenses and income from other appropriations, to be fairly presented.