Investigative Reports

We investigated allegations that an oil and gas company incorrectly adjusted oil and gas reporting and failed to apply the proper pricing for minerals produced from leases in New Mexico, potentially resulting in a loss of royalties.We determined that the alleged conduct occurred outside the 5-year statute of limitations for criminal conduct and would be appropriately addressed through administrative enforcement actions and orders. As a result, we referred the matter to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR).

We investigated allegations that an oil and gas company improperly reported oil and gas production from Federal leases to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), which resulted in a loss of public mineral royalties.We found the company failed to properly report production and mineral royalties to ONRR as alleged, but we did not find the company intended to defraud the Government. The improper reporting occurred because the company did not provide adequate lease production information to the contractor it hired to perform the production and royalty reporting. Further, the contractor was unfamiliar with ONRR’s reporting procedures and requirements.

An Amtrak electrician in Chicago, Illinois, resigned from employment on April 14, 2020, following our investigation which revealed the employee violated company policies by establishing a business and using it to engage in fraudulent credit card schemes for personal gain during a portion of his continuous FMLA leave. The employee admitted that he used the proceeds from his business-related fraud scheme to travel and party. Further, he was initially dishonest with our agents when asked about his conduct. Criminal judicial proceedings are pending.

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A Customer Service Representative in Joliet, Illinois, was terminated from employment on March 16, 2020, following an administrative hearing for violating company policy. Our investigation found that the employee inappropriately used leave granted under the Family Medical Leave Act to engage in outside employment. Additionally, the employee was dishonest with our agents when we interviewed him during this investigation.

A Computer Tech based in Bear, Delaware, violated Amtrak policies by conducting consultation work for a travel agency while using company equipment and resources on company time. Although the employee was instructed and counseled by her supervisors to discontinue doing so, we found occasions where the unauthorized activity continued afterbeing counseled. On March 16, 2020, the employee retired in lieu of disciplinary action.

A former Los Angeles-based Amtrak employee was sentenced in Los Angeles Municipal Court on March 13, 2020, to three years of probation, ordered to pay $34,030 in restitution to Amtrak, and to complete 90 days of community service. The former employee pleaded guilty to grand theft after our investigation revealed she stole money from the Employee Vending Commission Fund. She admitted to a portion of her total theft on December 4, 2018, during an interview with our agents, and immediately resigned from the company thereafter.

The OIG investigated allegations that Leslie Lewis, a National Park Service (NPS) Supervisory Fee Management Specialist, embezzled fee deposit funds from Mammoth Cave National Park, KY.We determined that from 2014 through 2018 Lewis embezzled $169,322 from the park’s fee collection program, using several schemes to conceal the thefts. We also found that, at the time of the thefts, the park’s fee collection procedures did not conform to NPS policy governing such programs, but park officials have corrected the deficiencies.The U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky prosecuted Lewis, who pleaded guilty to theft in U.S. District Court. She was sentenced to 24 months of incarceration followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $169,322 in restitution.