The OIG investigated allegations that tribal officials manipulated statistical reports they submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to influence the amount of Federal funding received by the tribe. We also investigated allegations that tribal officials distributed Federal grant funds to ineligible clients, and that they terminated a former employee for notifying the BIA of potential fraudulent activities. We did not substantiate any of the allegations.

The OIG investigated allegations that employees of Energy Resource Technology, Inc. (ERT) falsified Blowout Preventer (BOP) pressure test charts and engaged in unsafe welding operations while conducting oil and gas activities aboard an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico. We found that the ERT manager on the platform, Race Addington, concealed a failed pressure test from Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) officials and directed offshore worker Kenneth Johns and another ERT employee to fabricate a false BOP pressure test chart.

The OIG investigated an allegation that a DOI grant official had a conflict of interest because she owned a consulting company that assisted people in obtaining grants. We found no evidence of a conflict of interest. The official’s consulting company had no revenue, clients, or employees; the official only intended to consult on non-Federal grants; and the official disclosed her company on her required annual financial disclosure form.

The OIG investigated allegations that U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) employees improperly awarded a sole-source security services contract at a dam, received kickbacks for rigging the contract bidding process, and approved inflated invoices. Our investigation found no evidence that USBR employees improperly awarded the contract or received kickbacks for rigging the contract bidding process. We referred the allegations of inflated invoices to our Office of Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations, which audited the contract for compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

The OIG investigated an allegation that a senior official with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was involved in a conflict of interest when she directed her staff to hire a private consultant who was her friend. We found that the official violated Federal ethics regulations when she directed her staff to pay $2,400 to a private consultant with whom she had both a professional and personal relationship. In return for the payment, the consultant provided three written work products to BLM.