Investigative Reports

Peter Port, a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, pleaded guilty on May 10, 2023, in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud. Port owned and controlled Safe Haven, a substance abuse center, which was purportedly in the business of providing clinical treatment for persons suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.Our investigation found that Port and others paid kickbacks and bribes in the form of cash, free or reduced sober homes rent, and other benefits to individuals who agreed to be patients at Safe Haven. Fraudulent claims were subsequently submitted to insurance plans for unnecessary urine testing and addiction treatment services that were not provided. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $86,130. Port and three co-defendants will be sentenced at a future date.

Ketrick Barron, a former Amtrak General Foreman, based in Washington, D.C., was sentenced on May 9, 2023, to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution of $6,580 to Amtrak. On February 21, 2023, Barron pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, to one misdemeanor count of Theft of Government Property related to his use of a General Services Administration fuel card issued to Amtrak to fuel personal vehicles at a cost of approximately $6,580.20.

The owner of a company contracted to do work for Amtrak signed a pre-trial diversion agreement on May 8, 2023, in Marion County Superior Court, Indiana. Our investigation found that the contractor stole two train horns from the Beech Grove Maintenance Facility and later sold them to individuals he met on various train-related internet sites and online forums. The contractor agreed to pay $10,000 in restitution, including $4,750 to the company.

Michael Devine, a former Fire, Life and Safety Assistant Supervisor based in New York, was found guilty on March 15, 2023, of one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree after a three-day bench trial in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. On April 27, 2023, Devine was sentenced to 400 hours community service and ordered to pay restitution of $2,685 to Amtrak. Devine created counterfeit Amtrak badges for himself and other employees and participated in a scheme with co-workers to use these fake badges and/or their official Amtrak badges to “swipe” each other in and out on Amtrak’s time and attendance machines. Devine resigned on December 10, 2021, and is ineligible for rehire.

Michael Ligotti, D.O., of Delray Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty on October 4, 2022, to conspiring to commit health care fraud for his participation in a $681 million years-long health care fraud scheme throughout Palm Beach County, billing for fraudulent tests and treatments for vulnerable patients seeking treatment for drug and/or alcohol addiction. Amtrak’s health care plan was billed over $535,000 as part of the scheme. On January 9, 2023, Ligotti was sentenced to 20 years in prison. On April 27, 2023, Ligotti’s sentence was amended to include an order of $127,427,988 in restitution.

An Assistant Supervisory Plumber based in New York, New York, violated Amtrak policy by engaging in outside employment at two construction companies while on Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and receiving Railroad Retirement Board benefits. The employee resigned in lieu of his disciplinary hearing and is ineligible for rehire.

We found an oil and gas company failed to report royalties from mineral production on an Indian Lease in Oklahoma.

Florida residents Jean Barbier and Bryan DeCastro were sentenced on April 5, 2023, in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. DeCastro was sentenced to 11 months in prison, 3 years’ probation, and was ordered to pay $155,929 in restitution to Amtrak. Barbier was sentenced to 7 months in prison, 3 years’ probation, and was ordered to pay $74,818 in restitution to Amtrak. Both defendants were employed by a company contracted by Amtrak to provide food services. Our investigation found that DeCastro fraudulently altered the timecards of Barbier and another individual to make it appear they worked more hours than they did, resulting in payment for hours they did not work. Barbier then paid DeCastro kickbacks for falsely inflating the timecards. Judicial action is pending for another defendant in this case.