Investigative Reports

An Administrative Judge violated ethics regulations and did not comply with an ethics recusal and prohibited holdings waiver.

We substantiated allegations that a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employee illegally used a Government purchase card and falsified time records.

A Foreman in New York City violated Amtrak policy by dishonestly taking medical leave while in police custody for a recent arrest. We confirmed that on August 2, 2021, officers with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey arrested the employee and charged him with endangering the welfare of a child. The foreman resigned in lieu of his disciplinary hearing. The employee is not eligible for rehire.

An Amtrak manager based in Chicago, Illinois, was issued a letter of counseling on February 9, 2022, following the issuance of our report. Our investigation found that the employee performed military duties on days when he was also scheduled to be working for the company. As a result, the employee received compensation from the military for days in which he was also paid by the company. The employee failed to remit the wages paid by the government to the company upon returning from military leave. Our investigation found no compelling evidence that the employee intended to defraud the company. The employee agreed to repay the company a total of $27,904.50.

A Customer Service Representative at Rensselaer Station, New York, violated Amtrak policies by committing theft of a co-worker’s personal property while on duty. During the joint investigation with the Amtrak Police Department, the employee admitted to the thefts and resigned from the company shortly thereafter. The employee is ineligible for rehire.

We found that an oil and gas company did not violate safety and environmental regulations.

A Chicago man pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, to possession of cannabis on January 24, 2022. Andre Jordan was previously arrested on February 8, 2021, after agents found him to be in possession of approximately 2.2 pounds of cannabis after he deboarded an Amtrak train in Chicago. Jordan was sentenced to 9 months in prison.

Amtrak terminated the contract of a contractor based in Camarillo, California, on January 21, 2022, following the issuance of our investigative report. 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. In addition, Amtrak required the contractor to remove all equipment from Amtrak property and barred the contractor from entering any Amtrak property in the future.

The official embezzled $95,001 by making personal purchases.

We substantiated allegations that a leaseholder failed to make timely royalty payments for minerals (gravel) a subcontractor removed from a tribally owned gravel pit.

We substantiated that an unknown individual fraudulently represented themselves as a DOI official and misdirected $64,097 of the official’s pay.

We substantiated allegations that a USGS employee fraudulently received donated leave, valued at $4,710, through the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program.