It appears that government fraud within our defense and homeland security infrastructure is harming America's national security. How rampant is this draining of resources from the maintenance of public safety? During the period January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) opened 1,389 allegations for investigation, resulting in issuance of 845 Reports of Investigation, accounting for 318 arrests and 260 convictions. These investigations also led to fines, restitution, recoveries, and administrative cost savings of more than $45 million.
The mission of the Office of Investigations mirrors the Department of Homeland Security’s priorities of working to secure the integrity of our immigration system, borders, ports of entry, and the national transportation system.
The OIG has statutory authority and broad oversight responsibilities for the investigation of allegations of employee criminal misconduct, including corruption and civil rights violations; as well as the investigation of fraud relating to Department programs that involve distribution of federal funds or other benefits. It is the principal agency that investigates employee corruption. Unfortunately, employee corruption runs rampant and I believe such criminal wrongdoing places Americans at risk. Fraud, waste, and abuse of power in the Department of Homeland Security must be curtailed.
An good example of this mess occurred recently. A former manager at the Homeland Security Department is going to prison for taking nearly $13,000 in bribes from a government contractor. Derek Matthews, 46, of Harwood, Md., accepted the bribes from a government contracting company in exchange for using his position to help the company find and win contracts.
A U.S. District Court judge recently sentenced Matthews to 15 months in prison and one year of supervised release for using his position at the Federal Protective Service to help a security service firm win more than $31 million in government contracts.
Matthews, who served as deputy assistant director for operations at FPS and later was promoted to regional director for the national capital region, netted $12,500 in bribes from Keith Hedman, an executive at an Arlington, Va., consulting firm, known as Company B in court documents. Company B was a shell company Hedman set up to obtain federal contracts set aside for minority-owned and disadvantaged small businesses.
Hedman pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy
to commit bribery in connection with Matthews’ scheme, along with conspiracy to
commit major government fraud as part of a separate scheme to fraudulently
obtain millions in government contract payments. He falsely represented his company to qualify for
preferential status as a minority-owned business and was sentenced in June to six years in prison for
major government fraud and two years for bribery.
This case was investigated by the Washington Field Office for the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration OIG, the Small Business Administration OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the General Services Administration OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Golder and Ryan Faulconer prosecuted the case for the U.S. government.
This case was investigated by the Washington Field Office for the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration OIG, the Small Business Administration OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the General Services Administration OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Golder and Ryan Faulconer prosecuted the case for the U.S. government.
Unfortunately, such fraud is running rampant. Check out
the NSA Office of
Inspector General press release.
Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online spy novel series "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean". The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. Contact him on the Secure Contact Form
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