The New York Times
By Emily Yehle
June 21, 2011

Amid the oil rig inspections, the embezzlement scandals and the financial audits, one case stood out in a recent semiannual report from Interior's inspector general: the arrest of a couple who had sexually abused their two children.

The Oregon residents had photographed their abuses, distributing sexual images of their 6-year-old daughter and disabled 14-year-old son to fellow pedophiles. Neither were associated with the Department of Interior, but an investigation into emails sent to an Interior employee sparked a wider case that eventually involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the local police department.

It is an investigation that elicits some pride in acting Inspector General Mary Kendall, who oversees an office that roots out fraud and abuse in one of the most diverse agencies in the federal government.

"It had the unpredictable consequence of changing the lives of children who were in just a horrific situation," she said in a recent interview. "Not that you can undo what has already occurred, but that kind of thing makes you think, 'Gosh, that makes me feel really good going home from work.'"

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