Ethics Corner

This series on ethics presents cautionary examples drawn from the DoD Standards of Conduct Office Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures.

If you have questions about ethics or are unsure about a certain course of conduct, contact the NASCC Staff Judge Advocate’s office by calling (361) 961-3535.

Today’s story is about a “secret” agent.

A former high-level official at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stole nearly $900,000 from the Government by pretending to be part of a detail to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for nearly two decades.

He duped a series of supervisors, including top officials, by disappearing from the office and explaining his absences by telling his bosses that he was doing top-secret work for the CIA and its “directorate of operations.”

No one at EPA ever checked to see if he worked for the CIA. In all, he was paid for two and a half years of work that he did not perform and received about $500,000 in “retention bonuses” that he did not deserve.

In addition, he lied about contracting malaria, which cost the EPA $8,000 over three years for a parking space reserved for the disabled. He was reimbursed for $57,000 in fraudulent travel expenses, and he continued to draw a paycheck for 19 months after his retirement.

He has repaid the nearly $900,000 to the EPA, but still owes $507,000 in a money judgment. He was sentenced to 32 months in prison.