Reports

The OIG investigated allegations of contract fraud and misuse of Federal funds related to a municipal boat access site renovation partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). We did not substantiate allegations of contract fraud or the misuse of Federal funds. The problems we identified appeared to be the result of poor project management and poor workmanship, rather than fraud. The municipality has initiated legal proceedings to resolve the problems with the contractor.

OIG investigated allegations that offshore oil and gas company employees and contractors illegally discharged oil into the Gulf of Mexico. We determined offshore workers Luke Ball, Darryl Plaisance, and William Smith intentionally discharged oil into the Gulf while operating aboard a platform located on a Federal lease. All three individuals were criminally charged by a Federal grand jury in the Western District of Louisiana. Ball and Plaisance pled guilty to making a knowing discharge of a pollutant, and Smith pled guilty to making a negligent discharge of a pollutant into the Gulf.

Verification Review for the Report Titled “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Management of Oil and Gas Activities on Refuges”

Offshore Platform Workers Sentenced for Pollution

The OIG initiated an investigation after an inventory of a safe located in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Office of Law Enforcement and Security (OLES), found that thousands of dollars in gift cards were unaccounted for. We found 119 gift cards in the safe, valued at $2,345, and property receipts that indicated more than $10,000 in gift cards had been provided to a former OLES official and another BLM employee to use towards official purchases.