Investigative Reports

An Amtrak signal maintainer based in Chicago, Illinois, was terminated from employment on December 3, 2020, following his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policy by leaving during his work shifts to drive for a rideshare company. We also found that he routinely sat in his car during his work shifts for extended periods of time. During his interview, he admitted to leaving during his work shift to drive for the rideshare company, including when he was scheduled and paid to work overtime.

An Amtrak employee based in Jackson, Michigan, was terminated from employment on December 2, 2020, for violating the collective bargaining agreement between the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees and Amtrak. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policy by engaging in outside employment while on a medical leave of absence from the company.

The OIG investigated allegations that a company fraudulently altered a purchase order (PO) that the National Park Service (NPS) awarded for the replacement of two fuel pumps at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The company also allegedly then issued the altered PO to a second company to perform the work.We found that Kentey Fielder, owner of the first company, falsely represented himself to a second company as an NPS employee and emailed that second company two altered POs reflecting the second company as the primary contractor on the NPS fuel pump project. On the basis of these fraudulent POs, the second company then performed the work. The NPS subsequently paid Fielder under the legitimate PO, but Fielder never paid the second company for the equipment or labor it provided.Fielder pleaded guilty to one count in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, Wire Fraud, and was subsequently sentenced to 3 years of probation with an additional condition of 8 months of home detention. He was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $12,687.62 and was debarred from participation in Federal procurement and nonprocurement programs.

An Amtrak trackman based in Chicago, Illinois, was terminated from employment on November 23, 2020, following his administrative hearing. Our investigation found the former employee violated company policy when he failed to report an arrest and subsequent conviction for drug possession and a separate conviction related to unemployment fraud. The arrest and convictions occurred while the former trackman was employed by the company.

In April 2018, the GPO Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Investigations Division, received a referral from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alleging fraudulent activities committed by DLUX Printing & Publishing, Inc. (DLUX) – a business located in Pensacola, FL. The complainant, who had intimate knowledge of DLUX’s day-to-day operations, reported that Gerald Mandel (Mandel), the owner of DLUX, directed employees to produce and distribute a fraction of the contracted materials, while still invoicing the GPO for the full amount.g

The OIG investigated an allegation that a National Park Service (NPS) employee misused an assigned Government Owned-Vehicle (GOV) by taking it home overnight on multiple occasions without authorization.We found that the employee routinely used the assigned GOV as a home-to-work vehicle without prior, written authorization as required by 41 C.F.R. § 102.5 and NPS policy.

An Amtrak locomotive technician based in Seattle, Washington, was terminated from employment on November 12, 2020, following his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by driving a company-owned vehicle without a valid driver’s license on at least two occasions. We also found that the former employee failed to report an arrest and subsequent conviction to the company for a driving under the influence violation as required by company policy.

Adam Micek, of Queens, New York, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, on November 12, 2020, to a prison term of time served, probation for 36-months and was ordered to pay restitution of $132,787. Micek previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his involvement in an Amtrak eVoucher scheme. Our investigation found that Micek and his co-conspirators used stolen credit card information to make unauthorized purchases of Amtrak tickets and then cancelled or exchanged those tickets for eVouchers. Subsequently, they sold the fraudulently obtained eVouchers on the internet.

An Amtrak secretary based in Chicago, Illinois, resigned from the company on November 10, 2020, while under investigation for engaging in outside employment while taking Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave and while on a Medical Leave of Absence. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policy by working as a personal assistant as part of a program funded through the Illinois Department of Human Services while also working for Amtrak. She conducted her job as a personal assistant during times that she was taking FMLA leave, a medical leave of absence, or sick leave. We also found that the former employee falsified a Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) application for sickness benefits by stating she had no income while she was receiving RRB benefits, when in fact she did have income from the State of Illinois.

An Amtrak baggageman based in Chicago, Illinois, was terminated from employment on November 3, 2020, following his administrative hearing. On September 14, 2020, we were notified that the former employee had been arrested for offenses which included Identity Theft. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of 21 Social Security cards and 13 state and government-issued identification cards belonging to 21 different individuals. Our investigation found that of the 21 individuals’ identification documents in his possession, 19 were previously located in the Chicago Union Station lost and found or were reported lost on Amtrak trains.

John Kosloski, a chiropractor based in Dolton, Illinois, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, to Health Care Fraud on November 3, 2020. Our investigation found that Kosloski submitted fraudulent medical claims to Amtrak insurance providers for services that were not rendered. Kosloski obtained personal identifying information of former Amtrak employees or those of their dependents, in exchange for cash kickbacks. As a result of this scheme, Amtrak incurred a loss of approximately $504,374. Kosloski’s sentencing is pending.

An Amtrak trackman/watchman based in Chicago, Illinois, was terminated from employment on November 3, 2020, following his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee failed to report an arrest and conviction for a DUI while employed with the company. We also found that the former employee violated company policy by signing out a company vehicle when his driver’s license was suspended, and that he bid for a position which required a valid driver’s license for which he submitted fraudulent records. Further, the former employee was dishonest with our agents during his interview.