Federal Reports

A former Amtrak train attendant based in New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana on July 25, 2022, to three years’ probation and 12 months’ home confinement for theft of government funds and making false statements. In addition, he was ordered to pay restitution of $64,874.64 to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and $22,725 to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Our investigation found that the former employee made false statements to the SBA and fraudulently obtained $89,583 in pandemic-related relief loans funded through the Paycheck Protection Program. He also fraudulently applied for, and received, unemployment benefits through the Louisiana Workforce Commission despite being fully employed by Amtrak at the time. The employee was terminated from the company on April 4, 2022.

Robert Joseph, a podiatrist based in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, on July 25, 2022, to two years’ probation for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Joseph was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and a money judgment forfeiture in the amount of $332,500. Our investigation found that Joseph prescribed unnecessary compounded medications to patients without their knowledge. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $22,000.

The audit objectives were to determine whether program funds were managed in accordance with the ARC and Federal grant requirements

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorizes $4.7 billion in appropriations for fiscal years 2022 through 2030 to address orphaned wells.