A new audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General reveals more than $45 million in questioned costs and $73 million in recovered assets from April 1 to Sept. 30. The new figures were released in the OIG’s Semiannual Report to the Congress.
Of the investigations, 102 were referred for prosecution, 51 were accepted for prosecution and 44 were declined for prosecution. The OIG issued 30 new reports during the six-month reporting period, with 116 unique recommendations, of which 149 were closed.
“The audits, inspections, and investigations we conducted during this reporting period should help improve treatment and care of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at detention facilities; make progress toward implementing controls to regulate access to Department of Homeland Security facilities and systems; and improve oversight and controls for identifying and processing aliens who are known or suspected terrorists,” Acting Inspector General John V. Kelly wrote in the report. “In addition, our work will enhance the United States Coast Guard’s oversight of information technology investments, and ensure Federal Emergency Management Agency funds are put to better use to improve management and oversight of disaster-related programs.”
The reports include the investigation of a DHS employee who left sensitive documentation on a commercial airliner, a DHS OIG manager for allegedly committing insurance fraud and a U.S. Secret Service manager who “failed to follow Secret Service procedures regarding the inventory and disposal of evidence, misused seized property, and provided inaccurate information to the Secret Service when questioned regarding the matter,” according to OIG.
