OFFICE OF 

INSPECTOR GENERAL 

U.S.DEPARTMENT OFTHE INTERIOR 

Building Management Employee

Misused Charge Card and 

Participated in Bid Rigging 

INVESTIGATION 

This is a revised version of the report prepared for public release. 

Report Number: 14-0579 Date Posted on Web: September 1, 2020 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SYNOPSIS 

We investigated an allegation that a building management employee with the Office of the Assistant 

Secretary-Indian Affairs (AS-IA), misused their official position and engaged in unethical or illegal 

behavior. The building management employee allegedly received financial kickbacks from moving 

contractors and office supply and furniture vendors; took Government surplus equipment home for 

personal use; and violated the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) parking pass policy. We worked 

jointly with the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG), on this 

investigation. 

We found that the building management employee violated DOI policy and Federal regulations by 

misusing their Government charge card, participating in bid rigging, taking a Government laptop for 

personal use, and failing to properly follow the DOI parking pass process policy. We did not 

substantiate that the building management employee received financial kickbacks as alleged. 

The U.S. Department of Justice declined prosecution of this joint investigation. In 2019, the building 

management employee was removed from Federal service. 

We are providing this final report to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. 

DETAILS OF INVESTIGATION 

We initiated this investigation after receiving an anonymous complaint that a building management 

employee with the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs (AS-IA) used their position to 

benefit themself and their friends and to gain favor with other employees and political appointees of 

the AS-IA office. The complainant claimed that the building management employee also received 

financial kickbacks from moving contractors and office supplies and furniture vendors. The 

complainant further alleged that the building management employee misused parking passes and took 

surplus Government equipment home for personal use. We worked jointly with the General Services 

Administration, Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG), on this investigation. 

The Building Management Employee Misused Their Government Charge Card and Failed to 

Follow Procurement Regulations 

We found that the building management employee misused a Government-issued charge card, in 

violation of the DOI Integrated Charge Card Program Policy and Indian Affairs Charge Card Policy 

Manual, at times exceeding the micro-purchase threshold or splitting purchases to avoid exceeding the 

threshold. The building management employee did this repeatedly when using their card to pay certain 

entities, such as moving service providers and office supply and furniture vendors. 

From 2008 through 2016, rather than establish a contract as was appropriate, the building management 

employee used their Government-issued charge card to pay for moving services and office supplies 

and furniture. Specifically, the building management employee paid one moving company, $33,956 

and paid a second moving company $371,197. The building management employee also used their 

Government charge to pay a company $109,132 for office supplies and furniture. We also found 

multiple instances where the building management employee improperly split purchases made to all 

three companies to avoid threshold limits. 

Additionally, we found that the building management employee failed to follow Federal acquisition, 

procurement, and ethics regulations, including sharing bid information with a friend, in violation of 48 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C.F.R. § 3.104-4(a); breaking down requirements to permit use of simplified acquisition procedures, in

violation of 48 C.F.R. § 13.003(c)(2); and the improper use of nonpublic information, in violation of 5

C.F.R. § 2635.703.

Government emails reflected that the building management employee was personal friends with an 

employee of an office supply and furniture vendor. We found emails reflecting that the vendor 

employee provided the building management employee all three of the required quotes for a contracted 

acquisition in 2010, with the building management employee’s knowledge and cooperation. In those 

instances, the vendor employee submitted separate bids for the same acquisition under different 

company names. When interviewed, the building management employee acknowledged being friends 

with the vendor employee and admitted to knowingly allowing the vendor employee to provide all the 

quotes for an acquisition on three to five occasions. 

We also found an email from 2013, where the vendor employee indicated that the building management 

employee had provided specific bid information, including quotes from two other vendors that the 

vendor employee needed to underbid. The internal email between the vendor employee and other 

associates read, in part, “What was the pricing [the building management employee] indicated we 

needed to beat?...” “The quotes that we had to beat were for $27,952.00 and the other quote was for 

$29,910.00...” “I will email everyone as soon as [the building management employee] can officially 

award the job.” The building management employee stated that they never solicited, were offered, or 

accepted money from the vendor employee. 

The Building Management Employee Took a Government Laptop Home for Personal Use 

When we showed the employee a social media post made by a family member, the building 

management employee admitted that they misused Government property when they gave a family 

member their old Government laptop to use personally. The building management employee denied 

bringing Government equipment home for personal use beyond this one instance. 

The Building Management Employee Failed to Properly Follow the DOI Parking Pass Process 

The building management employee admitted to arranging temporary parking passes for personal 

friends and at times failing to follow the proper process for the passes, in violation of Department 

policy and parking enforcement guidelines. The building management employee admitted that some 

passes were merely for personal use, including attendance at sporting events. The building management 

employee noted that the people for whom the temporary parking was arranged were Federal 

Government employees. The building management employee denied ever soliciting, being offered, or 

accepting payments for getting a parking pass for someone. 

SUBJECT 

Former building management employee, AS-IA. 

DISPOSITION 

In 2019, the Department removed the building management employee from Federal service for 

unauthorized disclosure of a bid and/or quote from a vendor to a competitor, unauthorized use of a 

Government-issued charge card, and failure to review a subordinate’s charge card activities. 

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The U.S. Department of Justice declined prosecution of this joint case. We are providing this final 

report to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. 

3 
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and Mismanagement

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employees, and the general public. We 

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