Reports

USGS IT Security Vulnerabilities

Organization Double-Billed the BLM and Submitted Invalid Reimbursement Requests

The OIG investigated suspicious internet traffic discovered during an IT security audit of the computer network at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center satellite imaging facility in Sioux Falls, SD. The audit found indications that a USGS employee’s computer was compromised and infected with malware. We sought to confirm how a compromise occurred. We found that the employee knowingly used U.S. Government computer systems to access unauthorized internet web pages.

The OIG investigated an allegation that a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) contract specialist misused his assigned Government charge card. We determined that Matthew Wathen embezzled over $26,000 through unauthorized personal use of his Government charge card, including weekly lodging, monthly rental cars, dining, gasoline, vacations, and other expenses. Wathen resigned from his USGS position and pleaded guilty to one count of theft of Government funds in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

During an investigation of the use of self-bonds in coal operations, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) identified an issue with access to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s (WDEQ’s) records related to its grant from the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE). We found that the WDEQ may be restricting OSMRE personnel’s ability to remove records from WDEQ offices for OSMRE review and audit.