Cutting Corners on Background Checks
A March 3, 2009 article in the D.C. Examiner reported that three workers pleaded guilty to “cutting corners on security-sensitive background checks for the federal government.” They failed to perform interviews and fraudulently submitted documents for years and lied to government officials.
As a result, numerous background investigations will be reopened and numerous record checks will have to be redone that were assigned to the three guilty workers.
Press releases from the Department of Justice regarding these cases can be found here.
Comment Archive
Great article. I looked at the comments and saw “Joe the Plumber” had some negative things to say about the process and investigators. I vaguely recall a “Joe the Plumber” posting on this board saying the same negative things. Probably the same person. I saw the other comments who commented on “Joe the Plumber’s” comment but I have not seen him respond. He probably won’t, just like he did not respond on this board. Joe is probably a guy who has a lot of issues who did not get a clearance and instead of taking the blame for his past actions he is blaming the investigators.
Investigator,
Yeah that’s him alright–I left him a little note of encouragement. I cannot believe these Investigators thought they could game the system for almost 2 years and not get caught. I know my company continually calls the folks I interview. I know this as fact, because as with all of us, we interview many of the same people over-and-over and they tell me. Everyone in this industry should know “Big Brother” is watching. This job is surely not worth going to prison over.
BW,
I tried to post a comment for the article but it did not work. I am glad you were able to. Re-interview letters are sent out for us on the OPM contract. For the other contracts I work on follow up phone calls are made. I agree this job is not worth going to prison over.
I don’t know about your credentials BW, but mine say contractor on them in three different places. If a source or record provider does see that and still thinks I am a federal agent then it is on them. Also I am glad Joe can speak for all of us and say that we all “love to flash our badges”. He knows so much about what we do. I am impressed.
I meant to type does not see that I am a contractor. Oopps.
Gentlemen,
How does one become a security clearance investigator? Can you all assist me with request? I will be retiring from civil service and require a new job.
thanks
mlg
What a stupid thing to do and a major fastrac to federal prison. I just don’t get people sometimes.
It baffles me silly about people. After 9/11, If you don’t get it, You’re just plain `ol stupid and indifferent. Not even mentioning the risk your creating to the US.
If someone asked me to do something potentially illegal, I guess I’d be unemployed (LOL).
No agent here. I’m just looking for information on the process because I’m going through it. It’s rather intimidating I have to say, But it has to be done. You never know “who” you’re talking to.
Investigator,
If someone can’t see the big-6 inch letters that read “CONTRACTOR” than they aren’t looking. I have been with every Federal Agency out there. I always take time to explain who I am and what I do and do not let folks confuse me with and other Federal Investigations outfit. Me, I’d prefer to not have to carry the foot-long sized badge carrier we use–wish they could streamline this thing 🙂
Meant confused as working for every Fed agency. Boy, my typing skills are slacking 🙂
You must have something different than us. Each of my credits I have for the 5 different contracts I work on look like what I carried when I was a police officer.
Does it bother anyone that George Abraham, a contract investigator, got 27 months of confinement, and George Dittman, an FISD employee, only got 3 years of probation, 200 hours of community service, and made to pay $21,239 in restitution to cover the cost of reinvestigating some of the cases he had worked on?
Both did the samething–falsified reports. Was it the difference between being charged with one count of false reporting versus 6 counts? Certainly the judge must know that if you were caught doing it once, you actually did it many times.
I’m curious to see the sentencing for Weeks and Higgins in June.