Ethics Corner

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of articles provided by the Staff Judge Advocate.

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 getting what you pay for or paying for what you get, depending on how you look at it:

A Department of Defense civilian employee recently pled guilty to one count of theft of Government property. The employee entered into an arrangement with two vendors in which they would charge the Government credit card for non-existent goods and services. The vendors would then give cash to the DoD employee. The vendors charged over $12,000 and kicked back $3,000 to the employee. The employee was sentenced to two years of probation with four months home confinement, and was ordered to pay $12,473 in restitution and a $1,000 fine.