Investigative Reports

An Amtrak road foreman based in LaJunta, Colorado, was terminated from employment on December 21, 2021, after our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by failing to report a March 2021 arrest for driving under the influence as required by company policy and lying to our agents during her interview. In addition, the employee used her position in a supervisory role to direct other employees to lie and provide false statements to our agents. Three additional employees were issued final disciplinary warnings and received suspensions of one week without pay.

We did not substantiate a Complainant’s allegations of whistleblower retaliation against the National Park Service.

Kevin Nelson, a resident of New York, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, on December 16, 2021, to two years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $287,805 in restitution to Amtrak. He pleaded guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft for his involvement in an Amtrak eVoucher scheme on August 30, 2021. Nelson and his co-conspirators used stolen credit card and personal 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. The approximate loss to Amtrak from the scheme was $450,000.

An Amtrak onboard supervisor based in Seattle, Washington, resigned from the company on December 7, 2021, while under investigation for engaging in outside employment while on a medical leave of absence. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policy by operating a personal business while on a medical leave of absence from the company.

We substantiated allegations that an oil and gas company claimed unallowable costs. The company agreed to pay ONRR a $6.15 million settlement.

We substantiated allegations that Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc., produced minerals without obtaining a Federal mineral lease.

Robert Barrows, a former Amtrak Assistant Conductor, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, on December 7, 2021, and ordered to pay restitution of $1,000. He pleaded guilty on June 17, 2021, to making a false statement to obtain federal employee’s compensation in 2016. Barrows falsely claimed on his unemployment benefits claim form that he had no income during the claim period when he applied for Railroad Retirement Board unemployment benefits. Our investigation was conducted jointly with the RRB Office of Inspector General.

On December 5, 2021, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) responded to our investigative report titled, Opportunities to improve Controls to Detect and Reduce eVoucher and Ticket Fraud. Our report focused on investigations that involved the use of fraudulent company eVouchers and tickets that were not detected by the company, causing significant financial losses. We identified internal control weaknesses and other vulnerabilities that exacerbated the company’s fraud risk.The company’s response recognized multiple challenges with the eVoucher program, and it subsequently conducted a detailed analysis to identify existing practices that led to the greatest risk and loss to the company. As a result, the company made two improvements in an effort to remedy the issue. First, the company announced that the expiration date of the original eVoucher will be enforced. Previously, when an eVoucher was modified or partially used, the remaining balance was issued as a new eVoucher with a new expiration date. The enhancement ensures that the expiration date of the original eVoucher is applied to any subsequent eVouchers and is valid for one year from the issuance of the original eVoucher. Second, the company is prohibiting any name changes or transfers of an eVoucher and only the named original purchaser of Amtrak travel can use and retain the value of the eVoucher, eliminating potential sales to third parties.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated aninvestigation on June 3, 2021, at the request of the Office of the Staff Director concerning an incident on June 1, 2021 that involved a potential information systems breach associated with agency-provided employee identification cards. The OIG identified two findings and developed five recommendations to the Commission.