Federal Reports

Maurice Driver, a former Amtrak lead service attendant based in Washington, D.C., was sentenced in U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, on November 6, 2024, for making false statements. He was sentenced to time served and a criminal fine of $200.
 

According to court documents, Driver was working as a Lead Service Attendant in the café car on an Amtrak train, which departed from Washington, D.C., in the afternoon of January 3, 2024, and ended in Chicago, Illinois, on the morning of January 4, 2024.
While working on that train, Driver met a passenger, spoke, and texted with the passenger, and allowed the passenger to use a vacant sleeper car on the train. On January 4, 2024, in Chicago, that passenger reported to Amtrak Police that Driver sexually assaulted her in a sleeper car on the train. Amtrak OIG then initiated an investigation of the sexual assault allegations. During an interview with an Amtrak OIG Special Agent, Driver made multiple false and misleading statements about his communications and contacts with the passenger, denying that he gave the passenger his personal phone number, texted with the passenger, and that he showed the passenger to a sleeper car. On August 8, 2024, Driver pleaded guilty to lying to a federal agent, and he was terminated from the company on October 31, 2024. He is not eligible for rehire.

In accordance with the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, the Office of Inspector General OIG identified and reported the following as the Peace Corps’ most significant challenges based on the results and findings of its audit, evaluation, and investigation work, as well as the information uncovered from OIG’s oversight responsibilities:• Volunteer Delivery System;• Volunteer Healthcare and Safety;• Human Capital Management; and• Information Technology Security Management

The Office of Inspector General is issuing this evaluation report to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved disaster loan applications with related Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with fraud hold codes.In October 2022, SBA established an informal review process to match disaster assistance loan applications to pandemic loans that had fraud hold codes based on taxpayer identification numbers. In August 2023, the agency began transitioning to a new system that uses fraud detection software to review each loan application and includes a check for pandemic program loans with fraud hold codes.Even though SBA implemented controls to mitigate fraud risks in its disaster assistance loan program, the agency approved 188 loans totaling $8,127,613 that were flagged as potentially fraudulent. Agency officials took action to prevent one of these loans from being disbursed after we brought this to their attention.We recommended SBA review and verify the 187 loans that matched to a related COVID-19 EIDL or PPP loan with a fraud hold code for legitimacy and eligibility. The agency agreed with our recommendation and intends to review these loans. Management’s proposed corrective actions satisfy the recommendation.

To summarize and assess the most serious management and performance challenges facing the Social Security Administration.

The U.S. Postal Service’s Mobile Delivery Device – Technology Refresh (MDD‑TR) is a handheld mobile scanning device used by Postal Service employees to improve real-time delivery scanning capabilities. As a part of the Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service committed to modernizing the MDD‑TRs to improve employee efficiency, increase security of mail and package delivery, and ensure employee safety. Select MDD‑TRs also use electronic lock (eLock) technology as a part of a multi-factor authentication requirement to open mail collection boxes and cluster box units — adding another level of security to prevent mail from being stolen. Since 2023, the devices have received software updates improving carrier security and efficiency through address edits, global positioning system, and hazard maps. These improvements support the Postal Service’s commitment to creating a safe and secure work environment.