Investigative Reports

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, Administrative Investigations Directorate initiated an investigation into potentially improper expenditures made by Dr. Katherine A. Lemos.

An Engineering Supervisor based in New York City violated company policies by working in violation of the 16-hour rule, receiving unnecessary “Time Paid Not Worked,” and receiving pay for more than 24 hours in a day. Specifically, we found 41 occasions when the supervisor claimed compensatory time for minimal or no work and 35 occasions when the employee did not swipe in or out on a time-and-attendance machine, as required by company policy. The employee resigned in lieu of his disciplinary hearing and is ineligible for rehire.

Colby Frazier, a resident of Long Beach, California, was sentenced to 30-months in prison on charges of Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, on June 21, 2023, for his participation in a "phishing" scheme in which he fraudulently obtained credit card and personal identifying information (PII) from his victims, including names and banking information. Frazier used the victims' credit card information and PII to purchase online travel tickets on common carriers, including Amtrak, and then resold the tickets to other individuals and kept the proceeds. Frazier was previously indicted on July 11, 2019, and he pleaded guilty to the charges on May 19, 2021. He was also ordered to pay $67,056 in restitution to Amtrak.

An Amtrak Customer Service Representative based in Hammond, Louisiana, signed a civil settlement agreement on June 20, 2023, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Mississippi, and agreed to pay $18,182 in restitution and a $4,500 penalty for a total civil settlement amount of $22,682. Our investigation found that the employee submitted a fraudulent application to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. We found that the employee falsely inflated the gross income of her business in the amount of $75,000 to qualify for the PPP loan, resulting in the receipt of funds to which she was not entitled.

We investigated alleged underreporting of gas production from Federal wells and found a company owes unpaid Federal gas royalties.

An Amtrak Coach Cleaner based in Beech Grove, Indiana, was terminated from employment on June 15, 2023, following her administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the employee violated company policies by failing to report her arrests and convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. We also found that the employee misused leave granted under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by claiming FMLA leave for the time she was incarcerated.

An Amtrak conductor based in Washington, D.C., violated company policies by failing to report an August 5, 2019, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) conviction he incurred during his employment. Amtrak removed the employee from service pending his disciplinary hearing. The employee agreed to a Waiver in Lieu of Termination on June 9, 2023, admitting to the charges and was assessed a time-served suspension after remaining out of service for six weeks.

An Amtrak Lead Customer Service Representative based in New Orleans, Louisiana, resigned from her position on June 1, 2023, following the issuance of our investigative report. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by accepting cash kickbacks from a private transportation driver for referring passengers to his service. During her interview, the former employee admitted to receiving money for referring passengers to the transportation service.

A Crew Management Representative based in Wilmington, Delaware, violated company policy by working at her personally owned business between August 25, 2022, and February 13, 2023, while she was on leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and receiving short-term disability benefits in excess of $35,000. The employee was terminated on June 1, 2023, after her disciplinary hearing on May 25, 2023. She is ineligible for rehire.

We investigated allegations that two U.S. Park Police officers used excessive force against two members of the news media during the operation to disperse protesters in and around Lafayette Park on June 1, 2020.

A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty to charges of Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, on May 17, 2023. The man admitted to participating in a "phishing" scheme in which he fraudulently obtained credit card and personal identifying information (PII) from his victims, including names and banking information. He used the victims' credit card information and PII to purchase online travel tickets on common carriers, including Trailways and Amtrak, and then resold the tickets to other individuals and kept the proceeds. He was indicted on July 11, 2019, and his sentencing hearing is pending.