Investigative Reports

An Amtrak Assistant Passenger Conductor based in Denver, Colorado, was terminated from employment on May 25, 2023, following his administrative hearing. The Denver Police Department requested our assistance in identifying an individual who was suspected of shoplifting items valued at $244 from a Whole Foods Market while wearing an Amtrak uniform. Our investigation resulted in the identification of the former employee and he, subsequently, pleaded guilty to and was convicted for shoplifting.

We investigated allegations that a retired USPP Sergeant violated ethics regulations by seeking employment with a company while overseeing its work.

Keith Kovaleski, a former Amtrak Assistant Foreman, based in New York, was sentenced to 10 months’ home confinement in U.S District Court, District of New Jersey, on July 12, 2023, for marketing and distributing over $3 million worth of misbranded and unapproved new drugs. On July 11, 2023, his spouse, Sylvia Kovaleski, was also sentenced for her involvement in the scheme to 3 years’ probation. The couple was ordered to forfeit over $3 million as restitution. They pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2022.

Five Ticket Accounting Clerks based in Massachusetts violated company policies by using their Smart ID badges to fraudulently swipe one another in and/or out of Amtrak’s time and attendance machines. Four employees admitted to the violations during their interviews with our agents, and we found a fifth employee also violated company policies by helping these employees engage in this misconduct. The five employees resigned in lieu of their disciplinary hearings and are ineligible for rehire.

We investigated allegations that a Bureau Director did not comply with ethics obligations. We did not substantiate these allegations.

On May 11, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General,Administrative Investigations Directorate initiated an investigation into potentially improperexpenditures made by Dr. Katherine A. Lemos. The purpose of theinvestigation was to determine whether Dr. Lemos (1) improperly used Board funds for travelfrom her residence in San Diego to her official duty station in Washington, D.C.; (2) exceededthe statutory cap on expenses for her office refurbishment; and (3) hired two senior aides on anoncompetitive basis.

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.