Senator calls for investigation into ATF’s $9M fraudulent payments to staff.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has been caught in a massive fraud scandal. According to a report from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), ATF employees fraudulently received at least $9.7 million in pay and benefits over five years. But that’s not all, the fraud may have gone on longer. The report says ATF is working with the Office of Personnel Management to correct the problems.

But one Republican Senator believes the problem is more significant than reported and wants to know who will be accountable. “The American people deserve to know the full extent of the ATF bureaucrats’ dishonest dealings,” says Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in a letter to Michael E. Horowitz, Department of Justice Inspector General.

The OSC report says a whistleblower reported that from 2016 to 2021, at least 108 ATF employees were misclassified as law enforcement personnel. As a result, they reportedly received enhanced retirement benefits and pay.

According to the report, in June 2020, two ATF whistleblowers told the OSC that “ATF has a longstanding practice of systematically and intentionally misclassifying non-law enforcement jobs as law enforcement positions.”

Investigators identified 108 ATF misclassified employees. According to the report, the ATF ignored the law and agency regulations to set its own compensation system.

Culture of Gross Mismanagement

In her letter to Horowitz, Ernst writes that this scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. She believes that there is a culture of gross mismanagement at ATF that needs to be addressed. And she’s not alone in her concerns.

The OSC report found that the ATF established several merit promotion policies that violate OPM regulations and merit system principles. This is a clear indication that the agency has been operating outside the law for some time.

Who Will Be Held Accountable?

It’s clear that the ATF has a lot of work to do to correct the problems identified in the OSC report. But the bigger question is, who will be held accountable for this massive fraud scandal?

Sen. Ernst is calling for a full investigation into the matter. And she’s not alone. The American people deserve to know the truth about what’s been going on at ATF. And they deserve to see those responsible held accountable for their actions.

• Will the ATF be able to correct the problems identified in the OSC report?
• Will those responsible for the fraud be held accountable?
• What other problems are lurking beneath the surface at ATF?

These are all questions that need to be answered. And the American people deserve nothing less than the truth.

Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.