GAO: Probe into fake FBI charges 'thorough'

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2002

The FBI was justified in meting out light punishment and in some cases, none at all, to agents who charged the government $3,217 for attending a retirement dinner but reported it as official training, a Congressional investigation released on Wednesday concluded.

An internal inquiry into the 1997 incident by the FBI and the Department of Justice was "thorough," the General Accounting Office (GAO) said in a short five-page letter. The FBI, in fact, modified its disciplinary policies in response to complaints by agents about a double standard given to the most senior executives involved, the GAO noted.

Nevertheless, the lawmakers who requested the probe after details were disclosed last summer said it proved why the troubled agency needs reform and oversight. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior panel member, released a joint statement after the four-month investigation was made public yesterday.

"This unequivocally confirms the reality of the double standard for discipline," said Leahy. "Morale, discipline and management all suffer when double standards like this are tolerated, and there should be no place for them in the FBI."

"The details of this report show why public trust in the FBI has eroded," said Grassley, who has previously criticized what he calls the "cowboy" culture of senior FBI management and agents.

The incident in question centers on a 1997 dinner held for retiring FBI Assistant Director Larry Potts, who was a central figure in the 1992 Ruby Ridge siege and suspended for his involvement. Agents from around the country attended the event, which was held in Arlington, Virginia, on October 9.

Auspiciously, according to the GAO, the FBI announced it would hold a training session in Quantico, Virginia, on October 10. Yet no agenda or schedule was provided and the course instructor was given only three days to prepare, reported the GAO.

And when it was finally held, the training lasted just 90 minutes, including lunch, said the GAO. Only two high-ranking special agents attended the "dubious" session, said investigators.

Yet a total of six charged the government for travel and other expenses, according to the report. An internal probe resulted in letters of censure for three who charged $1,864, but one retired before punishment could be doled out, while three others who spent $1,353 were investigated but not disciplined.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who retired last summer, eventually launched a joint inquiry with the Department of Justice. According to the GAO, FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted more than 60 witnesses and took sworn depositions in a probe that took more than one year.

Freeh also instituted a uniform disciplinary method after rank-and-file complained that the more senior agents were subject to a double standard. Previously, separate systems were in place for Senior Executive Service (SES) employees and non-SES.

Get the Report:
Joint FBI and Justice Investigation of Alleged Misconduct by Senior FBI Personnel in 1997 and Our Queries About the Possibility of Similar Misconduct in 2001 (GAO-02-189R December 21)

Relevant Links:
FBI - http://www.fbi.org
Free Leonard Peltier - http://www.freepeltier.org
The Leonard Peltier File, FBI - http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/minn/peltier.htm
The Peltier Trial Transcripts - http://ishgooda.nativeweb.org/peltier/trial.htm
The No Parole Peltier Association - http://www.noparolepeltier.com