Background The U.S. Office of Government Ethics, established by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, provides overall leadership and oversight of the executive branch ethics program designed to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest. OGE’s mission is part of the very foundation of public service. The first principle in the Fourteen Principles of Public Service is, “public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain.” Public servants are expected to make impartial decisions based on the interests of the public when performing their job duties. The…
Author: John Greenewald
Background The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s narcotics program is intended to protect U.S. Postal Service employees at nearly 32,000 facilities from the dangers of handling packages containing illegal narcotics and ensuring public trust in the mail. The Postal Inspection Service conducts investigations of individuals attempting to use the mail for drug trafficking. In fiscal year 2015, the Postal Inspection Service seized about 34,000 pounds of marijuana from the mailstream. We initiated this audit to address allegations regarding postal employees’ handling of packages suspected of containing marijuana at seven post offices in the Capital Metro, Great Lakes, Pacific, and Western areas.…
Summary Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reporting reveals a possible emerging trend in trafficking narcotics across the Southwest Border (SWB) through the use of state-approved “medical marijuana”1 card holders. Single source reporting indicates that Mexico-based drug traffickers use individuals with state-approved medical marijuana cards who drive decoy cars with the smell of marijuana to distract U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents, while secondary vehicles concealing large narcotic shipments pass through the port-of-entry or checkpoint unnoticed. Significance Although the use of decoy vehicles while traveling through SWB checkpoints is a well-known smuggling tactic, the use of medical marijuana card holders represents the possibility…
Background The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is the Army’s medical materiel developer, with responsibility for medical research, development, and acquisition and medical logistics management. The USAMRMC’s expertise in these critical areas helps establish and maintain the capabilities the Army needs to fight and win on the battlefield. Ensuring our armed forces remain in optimal health and are equipped to protect themselves from disease and injury, particularly on the battlefield, is the job of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. The Command is headquartered at Fort Detrick, MD, with 12 subordinate commands located throughout the world.…
Background In December 2015, the OIG Office of Inspections and Forensic Auditing initiated an evaluation of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of 18F (18F), based on concerns expressed to us by several senior GSA officials about the management of 18F. The objective of this evaluation was to review 18F’s business operations. Our evaluation included a review of 18F’s business model to determine if it operates within the requirements of its funding source, the Acquisition Services Fund (ASF). We also reviewed 18F’s reimbursable agreements process, including its process for billing and collecting from clients. We identified issues with 18F’s plan…