Investigative Reports

We found that a DOI employee violated Department policy and ethics standards by accessing records in a secure Government database.

We found that a former FWS employee misused their Government travel credit card for personal expenses totaling over $37,000.

Why We Did This ReportWe are alerting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the need to ensure that mobile devices for separating employees are properly preserved and timely accessible to the Office of Inspector General to prevent the loss of evidence and other relevant records. Summary The EPA OIG is conducting an administrative investigation of a senior official for alleged ethics violations. In 2024, we notified the EPA Office of Mission Support that the senior official intended to leave, or separate from, the Agency in 2024, and we requested that the OMS preserve the information on the senior official’s electronic devices. Upon the senior official’s separation 30 days later, the OMS received five electronic devices from the official but failed to retain the three mobile devices in a way that would allow us or the Agency to access the information stored on them. As a result, we have been unable to retrieve the information and any potential federal records on these devices that may be relevant to our investigation, including text messages, telephone contact lists, and other forms of messaging. We are concerned that this is not an isolated issue.

An AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigation found that AmeriCorps was inconsistent in how it handled allegations of misconduct by senior management and that AmeriCorps hired a third-party contractor to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement on the part of a senior manager without notifying OIG as required by AmeriCorps Policy 102.

Summary of FindingsWe found that the EPA lacked robust oversight mechanisms—such as compliance monitoring of EPA-approved labs, of third-party certifiers, and of wood heater manufacturers—to ensure that the Wood Heater Program facilitates compliance with the Clean Air Act. As a result, wood heaters that do not meet Clean Air Act standards may end up in the marketplace, increasing risks to public health and the environment. We also identified concerns regarding impartiality, conflicts of interest, and enforcement of program violations, especially in cases where the EPA is allowing known noncompliance to go unaddressed.

An Amtrak lead service attendant based in Miami, Florida, entered into a forbearance and workout agreement on May 22, 2024, with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and agreed to a payment schedule to satisfy his settlement and restitution amounts. The employee agreed to pay a total of $124,631 including fines, fees, and interest. The employee applied for and received an SBA‐backed Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for economic losses resulting from the pandemic related to self‐employment or businesses he allegedly owned. Our investigation found that the employee submitted an application to the SBA that included false statements and information to qualify for the EIDL loan. As a result, the employee received an EIDL loan in the amount of $120,000 to which he was not entitled.

An Amtrak train attendant based in Miami, Florida, signed a civil settlement agreement on May 13, 2024, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida. The employee was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and a $5,000 penalty. Our investigation found that the employee submitted a false claim for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance of $10,000. We interviewed the employee and he admitted to receiving the EIDL Advance for a non-existent catering business. As a result, the employee received an EIDL loan advance in the amount of $10,000 to which he was not entitled.

In September 2023, VA announced it had erroneously awarded millions of dollars in critical skill incentive (CSI) payments to senior executives at its central office. VA cancelled the payments, notified Congress, and requested the Office of Inspector General (OIG) review the matter.CSIs are a new recruitment and retention tool authorized by the PACT Act, which significantly expanded access to VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. CSIs are meant for an employee who “possesses a high-demand skill or skill that is at a shortage,” to help VA meet a projected increase in staffing requirements. In total, VA awarded $10.8 million in CSIs to 182 senior executives (ranging from nearly $39,000 to over $100,000 each) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) at VA’s central office.The OIG found the award of CSIs to nearly all VHA and VBA central office executives lacked adequate justification and was inconsistent with the PACT Act and VA policy. This was due, in part, to breakdowns in leadership and controls at multiple levels of VA, including• insufficient transparency from VHA regarding the scope and costs of its CSI plans for VACO senior executives; • excessive deference by VA’s Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness leaders to under secretaries and other senior leaders, despite concerns that they or their staff had about the incentives;• missed opportunities by the Office of General Counsel to detect legal issues with the CSIs before payment; and• failure to leverage VA’s existing governance processes to ensure proper risk management of the new CSI authority.VA concurred with the OIG’s two findings and eight recommendations and provided acceptable action plans and completion timelines. The OIG will monitor VA’s progress until sufficient documentation has been received to close the recommendations as implemented.

Ricarda Burrell, a former Customer Service Representative, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to one count of mail fraud and one count of theft of public money involving CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) fraud. Burrell received the PUA while she was employed at Amtrak. The total fraud amount was $9,739. Sentencing has been scheduled for September 3, 2024.