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DOJ OIG Releases Report on DEA Bonuses and Other Favorable Personnel Actions for Employees Involved in Alleged Sexual Misconduct Incidents

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced today the release of a report examining whether the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) employees implicated in the incidents discussed in the DOJ OIG’s March 2015 report, Review of the Handling of Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Allegations by the Department’s Law Enforcement Components, received any promotions, bonuses, awards, or other favorable personnel actions after the allegations against them were made to the DEA.  We found that DEA policy generally prohibited employees from receiving such awards for 3 years after being subject to discipline for significant misconduct or while a misconduct investigation is pending, absent a specifically approved basis for approval.  We also found that although none of the 14 employees referenced in the incidents discussed in our prior report thereafter received promotions, 8 of the 14 employees received bonuses or awards contrary to DEA policy.  

Specifically, today’s report identified 20 award requests made in connection with these 14 employees.  Ten of the requests resulted in a bonus, award, or other favorable personnel action that was contrary to DEA policy.  Some of the employees were serving as supervisors and managers when they received the awards.  For 3 additional requests resulting in awards, we were unable to assess whether DEA had followed policy because there was a lack of documentation reflecting the DEA’s basis for approving the favorable personnel action under the circumstances.  We determined that the DEA followed its policy for the remaining 7 award requests.    

One of the 14 individuals discussed in today’s report has retired from the DEA, 2 individuals remain in the same overseas positions they were in at the time of the investigation, and the 11 remaining employees are agents or supervisory agents assigned to various DEA offices.

This report was initiated in response to a request from the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  In it we make two recommendations to help the DEA ensure that officials are aware of and consistently comply with the DEA’s awards policies.  The DEA agreed with both recommendations.

Today’s report can be found on the OIG’s website at the following link: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2015/e1601.pdf#page=1.

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