Federal Reports

Akheem Currie, a former Amtrak passenger engineer who worked aboard Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) trains, was sentenced for second degree assault and fourth degree sex offense in Maryland Circuit Court for Baltimore City on November 21, 2024. On June 27, 2024, a jury for the Circuit Court found Currie guilty of Assault in the Second Degree and Sex Offense in the Fourth Degree. Currie allowed a female passenger onto a MARC train without a ticket and subsequently assaulted her by inappropriately touching and kissing her. Currie received a five-year sentence (suspended, all but time served), and was placed on three years of probation. Additionally, he must submit to a mental health evaluation and treatment and register as a sex offender for 15 years. Currie was terminated October 31, 2024, after his administrative hearing at the company and is not eligible for rehire.

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), completed an investigation into the misuse of an official GPO vehicle.

This report details the Office of Inspector General's Semiannual Report to Congress. The following topics are included:

• Overview of the SBA and the OIG
• Pandemic Response Oversight
• Small Business Access to Capital
• Disaster Assistance Program
• Contracting and Counseling Programs
• Agency Management
• Other Significant OIG Activities
• Statistical Highlights
• Organizational Overview
• Appendices

We are pleased to present our report for the period April 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024. In this semiannual period, our audit, evaluation, and investigative activities identified more than $48.4 million in questioned costs; funds put to better use; recoveries, fees, and fines; and opportunities for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to improve its programs and operations.

As much as TVA proactively plans for growing electricity generation needs, maintaining fiscal health, and a path to zero carbon emissions, emerging risks can demand focus and shift priorities. Over the last several years, historic extreme weather events like Winter Storm Elliott and Hurricane Helene have impacted the Tennessee Valley and required TVA to respond in order to support the 10 million people of the Valley. It is crucial for TVA to remain nimble, foster workforce commitment, and allow room for the unexpected. Our office supports TVA’s mission by providing independent and objective perspectives to both known and emerging risks.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audited Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grants administered by the Election System of the Virgin Islands (ESVI), totaling $2.2 million. This included federal funds, program income, and interest earned on the Election Security and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds.