Investigative Reports

We investigated whether a BIA employee improperly received gifts, influenced a nonprofit’s operations, and awarded funds to a university.

Allan Lummer, Farshad Sassounian, Sidney Cobos and Ashkan Kohanpour, medical marketers based in Los Angeles, were sentenced in United States District Court, Central District of California, in July 2021 for aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Sassounian, Cobos, and Kohanpour were each sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay $24,147.50 in restitution. Lummer was sentenced to two years’ probation for his role in the scheme.Our investigation found that the four defendants aided in the preparation and presentation of a false tax return to the Internal Revenue Service for Pharmacy Acquisition LLC. The defendants knew the tax return falsely claimed a deduction for expenses that were actually distributions made to them, as owners of the pharmacy. Further, our investigation found that Pharmacy Acquisition LLC provided medically unnecessary compounded drug prescriptions to Precise Compounding Pharmacy that were reimbursed by health care benefit programs, including Amtrak’s plan. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $22,000.

A senior political employee did not comply with the Federal ethics pledge by meeting with representatives from a former employer.

An Electronic Technician based in Boston resigned from the company on July 12, 2021, prior to his disciplinary hearing. From March 30, 2021, through April 30, 2021, the former employee violated company policies by fraudulently claiming and accepting payment for over 62 hours of straight time and overtime hours that he did not work or was not authorized to work, for which he received over $2,825 in compensation. When we interviewed the employee, he initially lied about his actions but eventually admitted that he did not work all of the hours he claimed. The technician is not eligible for rehire.

This report of investigation pertains to the actions of former EPA Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson and former Senior Advisor to the Region 9 Administrator Charles Munoz.

A Clerk based in Bear, Delaware, was terminated on July 8, 2021, for failing to report his December 2020 arrest for drug-related charges. Company policy requires employees to notify the company as soon as practicable after an arrest, or within 48 hours after being released from incarceration. The employee’s disclosure occurred nearly six months later, and only after he was formally asked about the arrest during the course of our investigation.

Henry Abdelnoor, a former Lead Services Attendant based in New York, was sentenced in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County, on July 7, 2021, to three years of probation for stalking. The criminal charge resulted from Abdelnoor’s conduct prior to a company disciplinary hearing for posting inappropriate comments on Facebook. Prior to the hearing, Abdelnoor attempted to influence a victim’s complaint against him by allegedly offering the victim a $5,000 payment in exchange for recanting her statement in court. Abdelnoor previously pleaded guilty to the criminal charge on May 26, 2021. He resigned from the company on March 4, 2021, and is ineligible for rehire.

We did not substantiate allegations that the National Park Service improperly hired a senior political employee.