OIG initiated an investigation after receiving allegations that Timothy Strakosh, a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), had misused his Government-issued charge card by fraudulently charging personal expenses.
We found that between 2012 and 2016, Strakosh made numerous unauthorized personal purchases using his Government charge card. Because of the nature of these charges, they were centrally billed and automatically paid by the Government.
We also determined that Strakosh’s charge card statements were not being reviewed as required.
On January 20, 2017, Strakosh resigned his position as a Government employee. On February 8, 2017, Strakosh pled guilty to violating Title 18 USC §641, Theft of Public Money, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He was sentenced to 5 years of probation, and ordered to pay $19,470.48 in restitution.