Amtrak OIG investigation report on dismissed Amtrak executive

[afigg]

The Amtrak Inspector General website recently posted a terse summary of an investigation into a now former Amtrak executive who engaged in some rather significant abuse of his position. Besides hiring someone to help write a personal book on company time, awarding a $520K contract to an unqualified sub-contractor is pretty serious stuff. The OID summary is so short, that there has to be a lot more to the story. I'm wondering who the heck was the executive?

OIG 1 page "Ethics Policy Violation" report.

ETHICS POLICY VIOLATION
APRIL 15, 2015
CASE OIG-I-2015-506

We conducted an investigation of an Amtrak executive based on multiple allegations involving nepotism in hiring practices, steering of contracts to a particular vendor, and using an Amtrak contractor who later became a full-time employee to assist him with personal work. Our investigation confirmed that the executive engaged in improper hiring, conflicts of interest, and gross mismanagement of Amtrak resources. In one instance, we found that the executive hired his friend's son, who was wholly unqualified for an Amtrak position. He then directed this new employee to help him with a personal book-writing project that involved editing and copying draft book manuscripts during regular Amtrak business hours. Inexplicably, the executive also directed the hiring of a foreign national sub-contractor by an Amtrak primary contractor at a cost of over $520,000 to provide certain expertise on a rail project.

However, our investigation disclosed that the sub-contractor lacked adequate knowledge of safety, construction, and regulatory issues for domestic railroads, and there was no statement of work for the contracted services. In sum, Amtrak received little to no value for the sub-contractor's services. Finally, the executive directed and subsequently mismanaged the construction of passenger platforms for Amtrak and another rail entity. Not only were they delivered late, but their construction may have been unnecessary from the outset. Consequently, management dismissed the executive, the employee involved in the book-writing project, and the foreign national subcontractor from service at Amtrak.

"Ethics Policy Violation"? Seriously, that is how they label this? :huh:

 

[third rail 1200]

Coming soon on your smartphone: "Grand Theft - Amtrak."

 

[Bob Dylan]

What prison is this guy currently locked up in?

 

[DryCreek]

Names! We want names! Or, at a date that the executive was terminated.

 

[plane2train]

Shoddy stuff. This does nothing to support the thousands of Amtrak employees who do not make his salary.

 

[neroden]

Yeech. Oddly, the report avoids saying exactly what position this fired executive was abusing. It must have been fairly high up to involve ordering platform rebuilds.

 

[oldtimer]

Yeech. Oddly, the report avoids saying exactly what position this fired executive was abusing. It must have been fairly high up to involve ordering platform rebuilds.

This is true and it also points to the engineering department, an area in the past history of Amtrak that has been ripe for scandals. ie the bridge rebuilding scandal, and the house that an Amtrak executive bought from an Amtrak contractor,

 

[RSG]

What prison is this guy currently locked up in?

Bwahahahaha...prisons are for little people! Or at least for those who do something violent. This guy didn't go postal at the workplace, so no harm, no foul.

Can't wait until people like John Mica get a hold of this story gem...

 

[andersone]

my take on this is the system works, the malfeasant identified and removed. Mother often said life is not a bowl of cherries and it happens, but in this instance it was identified and dealt with. Not condoning the conduct of the individual in any way shape or form, but applauding the IG for dealing with it.

To me this is a positive.

 

[KmH]

What prison is this guy currently locked up in?

Bwahahahaha...prisons are for little people! Or at least for those who do something violent.

Then why do they still send a lot of white collar thieves to jail? Guy's like Bernard Madoff, Jeff Skilling, Michael Milkin, yada, yada, yada.

Whoever the guy was, it sounds like he basically stole money from me and every other tax paying US citizen.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

What prison is this guy currently locked up in?

Bwahahahaha...prisons are for little people!

...

For all we know this guy left Amtrak and went to work on Wall Street, where he could be considered well qualified to deal in mortgage-backed securities. (None of them went to jail, either.)

If there was an indictment in this case, and PLEASE! a prosecution, you'd think that would be mentioned in the terse report. You'd think if anybody had to pay back their ill-gotten gains, that could be mentioned.

But from what we know at this time, this corrupt bunch all walked. Did he have dirt on higher-ups who helped him slide out or what? No matter how cynical I become, I just can't keep up. -- Lily Tomlin

 

[FormerOBS]

I know of an excellent employee who was fired. I never learned the exact details, but I think it had to do with taking home some food that had to be condemned (discarded) because it had been thawed and couldn't be refrozen for later use under FDA guidelines. Of course I don't know anything about the case under discussion either, but a prison term might very well be appropriate for this high-level executive.

Tom

 

[afigg]

The OIG posted another investigative summary in June on what appears to be another unnamed Amtrak executive who abused his position. Presumably a new or recent hire. Amtrak senior management and Human Resources department really need to do a better job of screening new hires for the executive positions.

From the case files of the Amtrak OIG, yet another "Ethics Policy Violation" report.

ETHICS POLICY VIOLATION
JUNE 24, 2015
CASE OIG-I-2015-524

We conducted an investigation of an Amtrak executive based on an allegation that he did not disclose his ownership interest in an outside company, while recommending for hire a contractor associated with the company. This initial allegation led to additional inquiry regarding the executive using Amtrak resources to conduct personal business on company time. Our investigation determined that the Amtrak executive did not properly notify procurement officials of his ownership in the outside company during the selection process of the contractor. Additionally, despite initial denial by the Amtrak executive, the OIG confirmed that he repeatedly worked on personal business with Amtrak resources during the hours he was being paid to work for Amtrak. More specifically, we determined through investigation that the Amtrak executive used his Amtrak assigned smart phone and laptop extensively to support his ownership interest in the outside company (while on company time). In sum, we found that the Amtrak executive was not completely forthcoming with OIG agents during the investigation and clearly violated the standards of ethical conduct pertaining to his employment with Amtrak. Consequently, Amtrak management terminated the employee.

OK. if you are going to do work for an outside company while on Amtrak time, use your own phone and computer, not the ones provided by Amtrak. Stupid.

 

[Bob Dylan]

How come this crook isn't indicted and awaiting trial, he's not Nixon??!!!

 

[jis]

I have not come across too many indictments for violation of code of ethics and conduct, unless there was demonstrable monetary damage. It is amazing how many people seem to be oblivious of the careful enough to be executives? Or is it that they think they are brighter than others and therefore should be OK with breaking the terms of their contracts as long as they can get away with it? Perhaps the latter, in which case it might be a general cultural problem of "do whatever you can get away with" that seems to pervade the white collar workplace these days.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I understand jis, but isn't miss-using government property and misuse of time a crime?,

It was when I worked for the Government, ( DOL) and people were actually charged for violations, tried and convicted or pled guilty or no contest!

These sleazeballs usually were fined and required to provide restiturion as part of their sentences, which were usually probated, but at least they were ID'd as Felons and were ineligible to ever again work for the Government or where Government funds were involved!

Sounds like Amtrak needs to tighten up their background checks and screening of applicants for employment!

 

[Ryan]

Amtrak computers are Amtrak property, not government property.

 

[Paulus]

Amtrak computers are Amtrak property, not government property.

On the other hand, Amtrak automobiles carry US government license plates.

 

[Ryan]

I haven't had a chance to read the report, was misuse of Amtrak vehicles discussed?

 

[haolerider]

I have not come across too many indictments for violation of code of ethics and conduct, unless there was demonstrable monetary damage. It is amazing how many people seem to be oblivious of the careful enough to be executives? Or is it that they think they are brighter than others and therefore should be OK with breaking the terms of their contracts as long as they can get away with it? Perhaps the latter, in which case it might be a general cultural problem of "do whatever you can get away with" that seems to pervade the white collar workplace these days.

When you get a narsasictic and sociopathic personality combined, you end up with what characterizes so many executives today! They really believe they are smarter than the rest of us and with the sociopathic tendencies, they see no wrongdoing in their actions! See Wall Street and huge banks for easy examples.

 

[VentureForth]

What prison is this guy currently locked up in?

Bwahahahaha...prisons are for little people! Or at least for those who do something violent. This guy didn't go postal at the workplace, so no harm, no foul.

Can't wait until people like John Mica get a hold of this story gem...

So only John Mica can get a rise out of someone getting fired for stealing money from Amtrak?

If ALL congresscritters cared about how wasteful Amtrak is with their money, they wouldn't need a right wing wacko like Mica to keep them honest. So, I guess it's ok to steal steal and steal from a company that bleeds taxpayer money.

 

[Ryan]

Is anyone saying that it's OK to steal, because I'm sure not seeing it.

 

[VentureForth]

This isn't a strawman argument. Perhaps not in this case, but there are countless examples of waste (aka stealing in many cases) that seems to get a general yawn. For example - the one person who made hundreds of thousands of dollars giving names to the TSA then kindly retired with no public retribution. Sure, moonlighting and getting paid from the Feds isn't the same thing as giving incompetent employees and contractors Amtrak's money. But the OT issue, the cafe car theft issues, etc., barely gets a twitch in the eye.

I, for one, am glad that if nothing else Mica's vocal opposition is helping to uncover waste and fraud. Mica ISN'T getting his way - Amtrak is STILL HERE!

Sorry. No time to post an appropriate rebuttal meme.

 

[jis]

I am trying to figure out. other than his obsession with F&B, what other waste and corruption has John Mica been worked up about anywhere? He very well might have, and I am truly curious to learn about it. Also, what exactly has John Mica or anyone else done about the OT issue? Perhaps it is too inconvenient a topic for political grandstanding when your campaign contributes are involved? Frankly I am yet to find evidence that John Mica is really interested in fixing any problem other than burnishing his own political position.

A far bigger problem at Amtrak is almost consistent mismanagement of large capital projects. But other than occasionally hyperventilating about it, what has anyone ever done to actually fix the problem?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Jis: He likes to take Credit for stuff he voted against just like other Politicians! There's a saying in Washington that seems to apply to hin, " Don't come between a Politician and a camera, you're liable to get run over!"

I'm not that familiar with Central Florida politics, perhaps some of our members that live around Orlando ( since you are new to the area) are familiar with his record and can give us some feedback!

I do know he's totally bought and paid for by the interests that want to get their hands on the NEC!!!

Personally I have no idea why he's so stuck on Amtrak F&B, perhaps he's a one trick pony like so many jokes in office!

"The trouble with Political Jokes is that too many get elected!" Will Rogers