Latest news with #OfficeofInspectorGeneral
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
New Minnesota Office of Inspector General 'dead' at the state capitol this year and won't clear special session, leaders say
A bipartisan effort to establish a new state watchdog agency to crack down on fraud in public programs won't advance this year, former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman said Friday. Establishing an Office of Inspector General (OIG) is not part of the budget framework that will set the parameters of what the Legislature will pass in the looming special session, she explained, citing the $18 million cost over four years at a time when the Legislature is trying to stave off a $6 billion deficit in the future. "It is dead," Hortman said. The measure cleared the Senate earlier this month with broad bipartisan support. It would have created a new independent agency charged with investigating state agencies and private organizations that receive taxpayer money in wake of high-profile fraud scandals, like the Feeding Our Future scheme, that have plagued Minnesota in recent years. She said the measure also had bipartisan pushback. "The problem with having a totally separate division on that is who is their boss and how do we know that that's actually going to result in more fraud being caught," Hortman told reporters. "So I think the existing system we have is both affordable and substantially beefed up from the 2023 session." She noted that two years ago, the Legislature strengthened the oversight of the Office of Grants Management, which reviews state dollars that go to third parties. There are also a number of other anti-fraud measures in the state government and elections finance bill that passed Monday and more provisions should follow in the human services budget when lawmakers return sometimes next week for special session. Among the changes already approved are stronger protections for whistleblowers who report fraud and giving agencies the power to withhold payments for 60 days if an entity receiving the money is suspected of fraud. Meanwhile, the House GOP unsuccessfully tried a procedural move before adjournment Monday to force a vote on the Senate bill establishing the new agency. "It was really frustrating because it had passed the Senate. It wasn't part of the [leadership] deal, but looking at the amount of fraud that is in the state of Minnesota and trying to attack that and prevent it from going forward—I think you're going to hear continued concerns going forward," Demuth explained Republicans will still lead a new fraud prevention committee during the 2026 session, when lawmakers could also revisit the OIG proposal again if they'd like. "We weren't concerned as much with the money. We thought it was a wise investment of tax dollars to get it done—work that needed to be done," Demuth said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Seattle officials say OIG botched Chief Diaz, Jamie Tompkins affair probe
The Brief Two former Seattle officials, including Jamie Tompkins, claim the Office of Inspector General mishandled its investigation into rumors of her affair with ex-Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz. Tompkins alleges misconduct by a key witness: Officer Tay Gray-McVey, who she says sexually harassed her and had a conflict of interest in the case. A whistleblower lawsuit from a former OIG records manager claims the office illegally leaked investigative records to the media and retaliated when she raised concerns. SEATTLE - Two former Seattle city officials claim the Office of Inspector General mishandled its investigation of rumors that former Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz was sleeping with his Chief of Staff, Jamie Tompkins. One of those officials is Tompkins herself, who's now questioning the credibility of a key OIG witness: Officer Tay Gray-McVey, Diaz's driver on the security detail. FOX 13 Seattle compared the report on the OIG's findings with interview transcripts and police emails in determining Gray-McVey's central role in the investigation. Mayor Bruce Harrell cited Gray-McVey's statements in a letter he wrote to the Seattle City Council informing them of his decision to fire Diaz in December 2024. "I further identify additional established facts that I rely upon: Diaz directly described to a member of his Executive Protection Unit [Gray-McVey] that he was having a romantic relationship with [Tompkins]." What they're saying In the OIG report, Gray-McVey told investigator Shayda Le that Diaz engaged him in salacious conversations about Tompkins, with graphic details of the sex they had together. Le's report also showed that Gray-McVey was one of the first police officers to know about the romantic birthday card addressed to Diaz; the card that suggested he was having an affair. The OIG report says Gray-McVey's partner on the security team found the card in one of Diaz's official vehicles and shared the contents with him, and the two officers discussed what to do with it. The handwriting expert who declared Tompkins wrote the birthday card used one sample of penmanship in particular to confirm the match: JT-K-1, a handwritten note Gray-McVey claimed Tompkins gave him, "Thank-you for saving the day! Per usual [signed] Jamie." Tompkins, however, said a new handwriting analysis proves a different Jamie wrote that note and the birthday card, and she's shocked that anyone would believe she'd write a thank-you note to Gray-McVey, the man who she says regularly engaged in sexually aggressive behavior toward her. Click to open this PDF in a new window. Tompkins documented his alleged misconduct in emails she sent to SPD, the city of Seattle and even OIG. "He would say that he could track me by my scent. He told me that he would track my coming and going and where I was in the building over surveillance cameras. He told colleagues he was going to try to get me drunk on a work trip so that he could see if he could sleep with me," Tompkins said in an exclusive interview with FOX 13 Seattle. "It was just really disgusting behavior." Her allegations against Gray-McVey were also detailed in the letter Tompkins's lawyer sent to the city of Seattle in November 2024, demanding that the government pay her $3 million for the pervasive sexual harassment she suffered in the 18 months she worked at the Seattle Police Department. Click to open this PDF in a new window. Given Gray-McVey's importance to the investigation, Tompkins questioned why the OIG investigator didn't note his troubling connection with Tompkins when Le summed up her findings. "[Gray-McVey] has a massive conflict of interest," Tompkins said. FOX 13 Seattle offered Gray-McVey multiple opportunities to reply to Tompkins's allegations, but he did not respond to emails and phone calls. Fox 13 Seattle also attempted to contact Investigator Shadya Le, asking her to respond to Tompkins's concerns, but received no response. On Wednesday, FOX 13 Seattle reached out to SPD for comment, but at the time of publication had not heard back. Earlier this week, SPD issued a statement to KING-TV about Tompkins's demand letter. It read: "While the Seattle Police Department does not comment on ongoing or threatened litigation, we would like to restate that we are an inclusive organization and strive to be a safe and welcoming workplace for all our staff." Mayor Harrell was also asked about Tompkins's lawsuit on Monday and said he couldn't comment on pending litigation. Dig deeper Tompkins said Diaz, who is currently negotiating his $10 million wrongful termination lawsuit with the city of Seattle, wants a new criminal investigation into his firing as part of any settlement, something she supports. "I think the investigators had a preconceived narrative for this all along." Tompkins said. "I mean, it certainly felt coordinated." On Oct. 28, 2024, Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr unexpectedly announced she had placed Tompkins and Diaz on administrative leave but did not provide a reason. She said it was a "pending personnel matter" in an email sent to SPD staff. Two days later, the Seattle Times and KUOW reported that Diaz and Tompkins were suspended for allegedly lying to investigators about their affair, detailed in a new OIG Notice of Investigation; the stories came out approximately 30 minutes apart, and neither reporter revealed their sources. Click to open this PDF in a new window. More Details Emerge Now, a whistleblower lawsuit claims a senior member of the OIG leaked that information to local media. The claim was filed by Lacey Gray, the OIG's former records manager, who spoke to FOX 13 Seattle about the allegations made in her complaint. She said the release of the Notice of Investigation went around the normal review process. "This is completely against the norm to release these records the way we did … I think it was done to paint Adrian Diaz in a negative light." In her lawsuit, Gray claims Inspector General Lisa Judge fired her a few days after she voiced concerns to senior OIG staff that releasing the information had violated employee confidentiality laws. "In an employee misconduct investigation, you have to provide the employee notice," Gray explained in her interview. "You have to give them the opportunity to request an injunction to say, 'Hey, that should not be released.'" Gray told FOX 13 Seattle that she believes she's been "blackballed" from working at other local government agencies, so now she must look for work in a different state. Gray said she had a spotless record at OIG and had been praised for her work, before being fired. In her last performance evaluation, on a scale of 1 to 5, she received all 5s. Gray was even promoted to records manager, and her employment agreement with OIG was extended, with a note from Judge that said, "Thank you for your continued contributions." Gray said in her role, she handled every public record request that came into the office, but not the ones from the reporters asking for the Notice of Investigation accusing Diaz and Tompkins of lying. According to her lawsuit, Deputy Inspector General Alyssa Perez-Morrison "released [the investigation] records to multiple media members without going through the proper public disclosure process." Gray said she first found out what happened in a casual-seeming email exchange with Morrison. "Alyssa emailed back, 'Oh, I already took care of it. I already gave those records to them.' And then I replied back, 'Well, I'm concerned about that.'" Her lawsuit claims Gray tried to warn senior OIG staff in emails and in conversations that releasing those documents was a violation of disclosure laws. Gray recalled the response from OIG Audit Supervisor Dan Pitts. "Dan said, 'Well, Lisa [Judge] has clearly reviewed the risk and didn't think it was high.' And I replied back, 'Well, I don't know that she has reviewed the risk because if she did, she would know it was very high.'" Gray said she kept a paper trail of what was happening because she was worried about her job. "I actually thought that Lisa was going to blame me for releasing the records, so I really just wanted it documented that I had no part in this decision," Gray said. "But it ended up being that I stepped into something bigger by making an issue about these records being released the way they were." Click to open this PDF in a new window. Inspector General Judge fired Gray on Nov. 6. "Lisa showed up, and then she just got right into it," Gray said. "She said that I had been mentored and trained and guided for the last 6 to 9 months, but it was quite obvious that I had a different philosophy than leadership. And that I was being terminated." Her lawsuit claims Gray's "concerns about the potential violations of law were (together or individually) a substantial factor in the decision to end her employment." What's next Gray is suing for an unspecified amount in personal and professional damages for wrongful termination. Her lawsuit also claims OIG violated Washington's Silenced No More Act, which protects an employee when there's "reasonable belief" that public policy was being protected by her actions. Her tort claim originally sought $5 million dollars for her losses and legal fees. Gray filed her lawsuit Wednesday in King County Superior Court, and a response will be due from the city soon. The case is scheduled to go to trial May 11, 2026. FOX 13 Seattle repeatedly contacted OIG and emailed Lisa Judge directly seeking a response to Gray's allegations. However, no messages were returned. Gray wants the city to audit OIG, including how it handled the allegations against Diaz and Tompkins. "I know the employees at OIG, and they're good, and they care, and they're hard-working, and they're scared. They're scared they're going to lose their job like I did," Gray said. "I think an investigation could get them talking. I would support it. I would be happy to participate in it. 'I mean, I definitely would know where records are to assist any investigation.'" The Source Information in this story came from an interview with former Seattle Police Department Chief of Staff Jamie Tompkins, reports from the Seattle Office of the Inspector General, lawsuits filed with the city of Seattle and Superior Court of Washington and FOX 13 Seattle original reporting. New area code coming to Seattle area in June. What to know WA's first In-N-Out gets closer to opening date Trump, Carney quibble over buying Canada: 'Never say never' Dozens arrested after protests escalate at University of Washington in Seattle Jury selection for Bryan Kohberger trial: What both sides will likely look out for To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inspector General's COVID bonus report sparks renewed political clash
May 8—City Councilor Dan Lewis has once again called for a federal investigation into Albuquerque's use of COVID-19 relief funds. The request is nearly the same as one Lewis made in January. But this time, the recipient is different. Lewis asked recently appointed U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison to investigate the city five months after the city's Office of Inspector General found that some $300,000 in federal COVID-19 relief money was used for bonuses, something the mayor's office has disputed. Lewis said he renewed his call since the office had new leadership. Alexander Uballez, the former U.S. Attorney now running for mayor, stepped down after Donald Trump's election. The president then appointed Ellison, a former assistant U.S. attorney for New Mexico in Las Cruces, to lead the office. "It's very clear that our Inspector General found some very problematic conclusions from her investigations," Lewis said. "Because these are federal funds, and because the U.S. attorney would normally investigate things like this, I think it's appropriate for them to take a look at it." Mayor Tim Keller's administration has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the Inspector General as "little more than an opinion writer." "This Inspector General lost credibility long ago. Her own oversight board — made up of legal and accounting experts — has repeatedly flagged her for misrepresentation, lack of peer review, audit violations, and clear bias. At this point, she is little more than an opinion writer who has dragged her office into the depths of rumor and factless interpretation," Dan Mayfield, spokesperson for the city, told the Journal in an emailed statement. When reached by phone, Inspector General Melissa Santistevan said her office would not respond to the comments from the mayor's office. The money in question was a portion of the federal funds Albuquerque received from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. ARPA was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill meant to accelerate the country's recovery from the pandemic and subsequent recession. Specifically, the OIG raised concerns about child care stabilization grants, which provided financial assistance to child care providers to alleviate unforeseen expenses related to the pandemic and stabilize their operations. The OIG's report was completed in October. It concluded that the city's Family and Community Services Department issued $280,000 worth of bonuses to 27 employees between 2021 and 2023. The report found at least 10 recipients, including top managers, received nearly $20,000 each. However, the same report was not approved by the OIG oversight committee, which had appointees from the mayor and City Council. The Accountability in Government Oversight Committee said the OIG "lacked sufficient jurisdiction under the city's Inspector General ordinance to investigate one or more of the allegations" but did not explicitly recommend disciplinary action. A U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson confirmed that they had received Lewis' complaint. However, they said the office could not confirm whether they had launched an investigation.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Finalizing fraud prevention: Results from committee prompted by Feeding Our Future
The Brief The House fraud prevention committee wrapped up its 2025 session this week. It produced only one bill that seems likely to pass this year, but Republicans credit it with a culture shift. Democrats say they already passed a lot of fraud prevention into law during the trifecta, including a pre-award risk assessment for grant recipients. Creating a statewide Office of Inspector General was a bipartisan priority, but whether it lands under executive or legislative control is still to be determined. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The new House fraud prevention committee has wrapped up its work for the year. How useful it was depends on whom you ask. Prevention production 2025 goals and bills It sounds like only one bill originating in the Republican-led committee will make it into law this year, but quite a few bills attempt to address fraud and the GOP says that's because their work helped change the culture. In the wake of Feeding Our Future and investigations into autism center scams, the GOP started 2025 with a goal that fit into the palm of Rep. Jim Nash.\ "This is the very simple note," said Rep. Nash, (R-Waconia) as he held up his hand. "It's right here. It says 'fraud equals bad.'" Protecting taxpayers 'More than skin deep' The House fraud prevention committee is the only one with a Republican majority, but Democrats who served with them say the work is more than skin deep. "It's easy to say 'fraud is bad', said Rep. Emma Greenman, (DFL-Minneapolis). "That's a bumper sticker. I think actually protecting people and the services that they rely on, protecting taxpayers requires a stack of bills that we have been working through." What's changing? Audit report cards Nash didn't serve on the fraud committee, but he got bipartisan support for his anti-fraud bill requiring report cards from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) detailing audit performances by anybody up for a new grant. "There will be four (new) full-time (auditors) once that bill gets signed into law," Rep. Nash said. Answering to auditors Direct complaint The entire fraud committee also signed a letter emphasizing a complaint the OLA has had since at least 2007 — direct grants from legislators to nonprofits. Those often get less oversight, and Republicans said they'll address the issue in 2026. "We will have some sort of a policy bill where any legislative earmarks have to go through a process that includes risk assessment, that includes analyzing 990 and capacity," said Rep. Kristin Robbins, (R-Maple Grove), who chaired the committee. Democrats say they also want to minimize those direct grants and want them to be better scrutinized — so much so, they already created a pre-award risk assessment during their trifecta. "That is required right now," said Rep. Dave Pinto, (DFL-St. Paul). Inspector's office Who's in control? One more GOP priority has been to create a statewide Office of Inspector General under legislative control. That seems likely to happen, but possibly within the executive branch instead of the legislative branch because that's the only way the office can have police powers. What's next Republicans plan to keep the fraud committee until around next year, and they say they already have 530 fraud hotline reports to go through before the next session.
Fox News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
DOGE helps gut the leftist lunacy at this most pious agency
My suggestion: AmeriCorps is proof that if "we hold hands and believe ... we can change anything we want to change," President Bill Clinton declared in 1999. But after more than 30 years of fraud, false claims and political racketeering, AmeriCorps – the federal paid volunteer oxymoron - just got hit by a DOGE torpedo. "AmeriCorps has failed eight consecutive audits and is entrusted with over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars every year," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declared. The agency's Office of Inspector General condemned it in 2014 for "shocking waste of taxpayer funds, lax oversight, unauthorized contractual commitments and widespread noncompliance with rules, regulations and sound contracting practices." Things have only gotten worse since then. DOGE froze $400 million in grants to more than a thousand organizations, terminating more than 30,000 AmeriCorps members. Most AmeriCorps staffers have either quit or were placed on paid leave. AmeriCorps is a ripe DOGE target because its motto seems to be: "Leave No Boondoggle Behind." In Missouri, AmeriCorps members released 70 blue balloons outside a county courthouse to draw attention to the plight of abused children. Hundreds of Playworks AmeriCorps members served as elementary school "recess referees," bringing "safe and inclusive play to all students." AmeriCorps members in the Florida "Women in Distress" program organized a poetry reading on the evils of domestic violence. Federal agencies are prohibited from bankrolling political advocacy, but that doesn't stop AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps aided and abetted ACORN, the Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition, the Political Asylum Project of Austin, the National Association of HUD Tenants and Planned Parenthood. AmeriCorps members have busied themselves passing out free condoms and providing escort services for women going to abortion clinics. I have chronicled AmeriCorps' debacles over the decades in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Playboy, and American Spectator. After Clinton bragged that AmeriCorps members had taught millions of kids how to read, I visited one of their premier literacy programs in West Virginia. AmeriCorps members emphatically denied teaching kids how to read – instead, they said they were simply exposing children to books. In Mississippi, I attended the opening of an AmeriCorps assistant teacher training program where recruits were only required to read at an 8th grade level. (The program's grant application was chock-full of grammar and spelling errors.) According to AmeriCorps, "national service returns up to $17 for every federal dollar invested" in AmeriCorps. The formula event counts the stipends paid to AmeriCorps recruits – as if they would otherwise never get a paying job elsewhere. The tortured assumptions used to gin up the $17/$1 multiplier can't be squared with having no clear idea where federal funds actually go. I saw this first-hand in 1999 when I visited a premier AmeriCorps program which received $600,000 to recruit people for food stamps. After the executive director of that Mississippi program evaded my questions, I alerted the Inspector General. Turns out that AmeriCorps money was spent on 14 ghost employees (including a local mayor) who did nothing for the program. The chief of that local agency was convicted and sentenced to 41 months in prison. AmeriCorps still struggles to distinguish between real and imaginary "service." During the first Trump administration, the Inspector General warned of pervasive fraud involving "teleservice" — AmeriCorps members phoning in claims of the good deeds they supposedly did. Many grantees made no effort to verify the purported hours served. AmeriCorps management responded by recommending "immediate contact between the member and individuals to whom services are rendered." This is AmeriCorps' definition of "close enough for government work" altruism. The Government Accountability Office slammed AmeriCorps for failing to "demonstrate results" and ignoring "the quality of service provided" by its members. In Mississippi, I attended the opening of an AmeriCorps assistant teacher training program where recruits were only required to read at an 8th grade level. AmeriCorps apologists perpetually portray AmeriCorps recruits as financial martyrs. Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Chrissy Houlahan boasts of her time with AmeriCorps, declaring, "It's a selfless act to serve, but you are gaining experience, and you are able to parlay that into opportunities in the civilian economy." But she was part of the Teach for America program whose AmeriCorps recruits were paid up to $80,000 a year plus benefits. Most AmeriCorps members receive far less, but the overall package of stipends, fringe benefits and education awards exceed the wages collected by millions of Americans at the bottom of the pay scale. Being an AmeriCorps member is easier than making fries at McDonald's. Olga Rodriguez lamented on the Huffington Post that serving in AmeriCorps was destroying her work ethic. AmeriCorps member Nicole Patterson, who received a Congressional Bronze Medal for Community Service, vented: "I spent six weeks playing Scrabble and kickball for America. I spent another two months sitting in a tool shed for America." Democrats and liberals are seeking to ignite panic over the demise of AmeriCorps, but did these apologists fail arithmetic long ago? AmeriCorps had roughly 75,000 paid members before the DOGE purge. According to the Census Bureau, 75 million Americans formally volunteer with organizations each year. AmeriCorps amounts to barely one tenth of one percent of the total number of volunteers in this country. More than 20 states filed a lawsuit on April 29, challenging the Trump administration's AmeriCorps cutbacks. According to Fox News, "AmeriCorps is expected to remain in existence, but essentially will be restarted from scratch." But there is no way to redeem a program that boasts of its balloon launches, poetry readings and condom giveaways. Congress and the Trump administration should admit that AmeriCorps will never be more than social work tinged with messianic delusions. There are a thousand times as many private volunteers who will assure that AmeriCorps members will not be missed. Taxpayers can no longer afford AmeriCorps' endless virtue signaling.
