Whistleblower Updates: Claims Verified from Cases at DOJ, DOL, USDA
As we approach National Whistleblower Day on Wednesday, July 30, there are some updates on federal employee whistleblower cases at the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Bureau of Prisons Case
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced that a whistleblower case uncovered nearly $2.5 million owed to victims of crime and U.S. courts. This after a DOJ investigation substantiated the complaint from a whistleblower.
The complaint stated that BOP officials at Federal Correctional Institution Three Rivers in Live Oak, County, Texas, failed to collect nearly $2.5 million in court-ordered financial obligations to victims of crime and the courts. The investigation also found nearly $70,000 owed by inmates that is no longer collectable due to time limits.
As a result of the investigation, BOP established inmate repayment plans, instituted monthly reminders to staff to identify inmate financial obligations, and made additional training resources available.
“Inadequate oversight of BOP inmate accounts and financial obligations has been a longstanding problem, and I thank the whistleblower for bringing this matter to OSC’s attention,” said OSC Senior Counsel Charles Baldis.
OSC encouraged DOJ to offer a monetary reward to the whistleblower.
Lapse in Mine Safety Inspections
OSC announced that a Department of Labor investigation validated complaints from multiple whistleblowers about the failure to perform safety inspections at underground mines in the U.S. Pacific Territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The whistleblowers told OSC that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) repeatedly failed to inspect the active mines and falsely reported them to Congress as abandoned.
Underground mines must be inspected by federal investigators at least four times a year and surface mines twice annually.
USDA Research Facility Safety Violations
Also, OSC stated that a USDA investigation substantiated serious safety and maintenance failures at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Maryland.
The whistle was blown by a group of BARC employees, who stated that agency leadership failed to address complaints about workplace conditions since 2017. Those complaints claimed unsafe conditions throughout the 300 buildings and structures on the BARC campus.
The USDA probe found “pervasive safety deficiencies in many of the facilities and structures at BARC, including a lack of running water, malfunctioning elevators, inadequate heating and cooling, widespread water damage, mold and non-functioning fire suppression systems in dozens of buildings.”
USDA has completed nearly 60 corrective actions since the investigation and has redirected funds toward modernizing and repairing neglected infrastructure.
OSC also recommended monetary bonuses for the whistleblowers.
As a side note, BARC is on the list of USDA properties slated for closure in the USDA reorganization plan.
