Investigative Reports

A former executive of a Chicago-area non-profit organization has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for misappropriating nearly $1.9 million through a pair of fraud schemes.

Four former Amtrak employees, Kevin Frink, of Willingboro, New Jersey; Dion Jacob, of Brooklyn, New York David Lonergan, of Rockaway Park, New York, and Quinton Johnson of Irvington, New Jersey, were sentenced on January 8, 2026, February 18, 2026, March 4, 2026, and March 31, 2026, respectively, in U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey. Frink was sentenced to 2 years of probation and ordered to pay $460,174 in restitution; Jacob was sentenced to 2 years of probation and ordered to pay $1,315,259 in restitution; and Lonergan was sentenced to 3 years of probation, 4 months of home confinement and ordered to pay $627,801 in restitution; and Johnson was sentenced to 2 years of probation and ordered to pay $141,666 in restitution. According to court documents, Frink, Jacob, Lonergan, and Johnson were given cash kickbacks for allowing health care providers to use their insurance information to fraudulently bill Amtrak’s health care plan for services that were never provided and that were not medically necessary.

SEC Information Technology supervisor resigned, and two employees were suspended following investigation into whether they golfed during duty hours without taking leave

An Amtrak reservation sales agent based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, resigned from the company on March 30, 2026, while under investigation. Our investigation found that the former employee obtained passenger credit card information and used it to make purchases for himself, as well as booking Amtrak travel for associates. The former employee is not eligible for rehire.

Judicial proceedings are pending.

An Amtrak electrician based in Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced March 26, 2026, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, to two years of probation and was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution and 30 hours of community service, after pleading guilty to one count of theft by deception. Our investigation found that the employee submitted an application containing false statements to the Small Business Administration to qualify for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. As a result, the employee received $96,200 to which he was not entitled.

An Amtrak on-board services supervisor based in Queens, New York, was terminated from employment on March 26, 2026, following his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by ordering unauthorized cleaning supplies from the company, such as a vacuum cleaner and large commercial-sized containers of cleaning products, and giving them to his girlfriend. While the former employee did not admit to these actions, his former girlfriend provided the stolen items and a text message exchange with the former employee that corroborated the theft. The former employee is not eligible for rehire.

We found USPP officers did not violate DOI or USPP use of force policies in an attempted arrest and fatal shooting in Washington, DC.

An Amtrak extra board train attendant based in Seattle, Washington, was terminated from employment on February 23, 2026, following his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by misrepresenting his role at the company to two individuals, inappropriately seeking their personal identifying information, and sending internal company information to outside parties. The former employee is not eligible for rehire.

An Amtrak machinist based in Beech Grove, Indiana, was terminated from employment on February 23, 2026, following an administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policy by failing to report his felony conviction within 48 hours as required by the company’s Disclosure of Criminal Convictions policy. The former employee was convicted for pointing a firearm at another person. He is not eligible for rehire.

An Amtrak assignment clerk based in Chicago, Illinois, was terminated from employment on February 11, 2026, following an administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policy by failing to report his conviction for the fraudulent receipt of pandemic related funds. The former employee is not eligible for rehire.

A high-speed rail technician based in New York City resigned from his position on February 10, 2026, prior to his administrative hearing. We found that the former employee violated company policies by working a second full-time job at a hospital while he was on company time. The former employee is not eligible for rehire.

Ajmal Atherton, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced on January 28, 2026, in Kings Supreme Criminal Court, to three years of probation and was ordered to pay $35,250 in restitution. Our investigation found that Atherton applied for and received over $35,000 in fraudulent New York State unemployment benefits. This investigation was initiated after receiving information alleging that Atherton and a former Amtrak employee were involved in identity theft and other crimes. No charges were filed against the former Amtrak employee.

Atherton previously pleaded guilty on October 29, 2025, to grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing.

We found that a former NPS Administrative Assistant violated ethical requirements in connection with the former employee’s outside position.

Octavia Murphy, a resident of Bourbonnais, Illinois, pleaded guilty on January 27, 2026, in U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois, to one count conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts wire fraud. In the same investigation, Regina Murphy, a resident of Kankakee, Illinois, pleaded guilty on December 17, 2025, in U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois, to one count conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count wire fraud.

Our investigation found that Octavia and Regina Murphy, along with 12 alleged codefendants, submitted false information to the Small Business Administration and its participating lenders to receive Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) advances, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and PPP loan forgiveness. Octavia Murphy orchestrated a scheme whereby she submitted false applications containing material misstatements and fictitious documentation to make claims for pandemic relief programs on behalf of herself and the other co-conspirators, for which she was paid kickbacks. Regina Murphy and numerous co-conspirators voluntarily provided Octavia Murphy with their personally identifiable information and their bank routing transit and account numbers. As a result of the scheme, Octavia Murphy, Regina Murphy and the other codefendants received $93,000 in EIDL advances and $74,428 in PPP loans to which they were not entitled.

Judicial proceedings for the codefendants, including five Amtrak employees, are ongoing.

AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigated allegations that the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) Director of Community Action Partnership of North Alabama (CAPNA) had not performed the duties of the position since 2019, contrary to representations made to AmeriCorps in grant documents.

An Amtrak train attendant based in Chicago, Illinois, was issued a letter of reprimand on January 26, 2026, following an administrative hearing. The employee was issued a final disciplinary action which may be used for future progressive discipline for 36 months from the date of issuance. Our investigation found that the employee violated company policy by failing to report his conviction for the fraudulent receipt of pandemic related funds.