{"id":2434717,"date":"2025-05-14T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T20:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/did-the-atf-just-sign-its-own-death-warrant-internal-20-million-salary-scam-allegations-land-on-bondis-desk\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T16:38:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T20:38:55","slug":"did-the-atf-just-sign-its-own-death-warrant-internal-20-million-salary-scam-allegations-land-on-bondis-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/did-the-atf-just-sign-its-own-death-warrant-internal-20-million-salary-scam-allegations-land-on-bondis-desk\/","title":{"rendered":"Did the ATF Just Sign Its Own Death Warrant? Internal $20 Million Salary Scam Allegations Land on Bondi&#8217;s Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdid-the-atf-just-sign-its-own-death-warrant-internal-20-million-salary-scam-allegations-land-on-bondis-desk%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2434717&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a controversy surrounding two officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), who are accused of participating in an illegal scheme that allegedly misclassified administrative positions as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/reporters-repeatedly-press-psaki-to-explain-biden-calling-vast-majority-of-law-enforcement-decent-honorable-people\/\" title=\"Reporters Repeatedly Press Psaki To Explain Biden Calling \u2018Vast Majority\u2019 Of ... \u2018Decent, Honorable People\u2019\">law enforcement roles<\/a>. This misclassification allowed those employees to receive higher salaries and benefits, resulting in approximately $20 million in costs to taxpayers. Iowa Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley have referred these officials, Deputy Assistant director lisa Boykin and HR Division Chief Ralph Bittelari, for prosecution after discovering evidence of misconduct through internal reports and whistleblower testimonies. The senators criticize the lack of action from the Biden administration, despite their concerns about the abuse and mismanagement within the ATF. they also outline broader implications regarding federal bureaucracy and the need for accountability, reflecting a sentiment among some conservative circles that challenges the existence of such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-whitmer-media-caught-in-another-lie-anarchist-arrested-for-plot-to-kidnap-and-kill-whitmer-hates-president-trump-trump-is-a-tyrant-video\/\" title=\"Gov. Whitmer, Media Caught in Another Lie - Anarchist Arrested For Plot to Kidnap and Kill Whitmer Hates President Trump, &#039;Trump is a Tyrant&#039; (VIDEO)\">federal agencies<\/a>.The article suggests that this scandal highlights issues of waste within government entities and reflects on the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >political dynamics surrounding regulatory agencies<\/a> like the ATF.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Anything that diminishes the tyrannical federal bureaucracy benefits the free American citizen.<\/p>\n<p>According to a Friday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/ernst-grassley-refer-atf-bureaucrats-who-defrauded-taxpayers-for-prosecution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> from the office of Republican Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/amid-dem-outrage-usaid-ernst-sets-record-straight-potentially-shuttered-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joni Ernst<\/a> of Iowa, Ernst and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have referred two bureaucrats from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for &ldquo;immediate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-signing-order-ending-federal-funding-for-illegal-immigrants-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump signing order ending federal funding for illegal immigrants - Washington Examiner\">corrective action&#038;rdquo<\/a>; over a scheme the senators say cost taxpayers approximately $20 million.<\/p>\n<p>As they outlined in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/atf_illegal_misclassification_scheme.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter<\/a> dated Friday, Ernst and Grassley accused the bureaucrats of taking part in an &ldquo;illegal scheme to misclassify human resources (HR) and other administrative positions as law enforcement.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, ATF employees who did administrative work nonetheless allegedly had their positions classified as law enforcement, which entitled them to higher salaries and benefits.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/doge-investigate-bureaucrats-become-wealthy-positions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bureaucrats<\/a> enriching themselves at public expense? And in this case, allegedly doing so illegally? Perish the thought.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Ernst and Grassley raised this concern on multiple occasions in 2024. Then-President Joe Biden&rsquo;s administration, however, took no action.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, through whistleblowers, the senators obtained various internal reports, including one from ATF&rsquo;s Internal Affairs Division.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The IAD report was completed on January 5, 2024, and it highlights considerable evidence of gross waste, fraud, and abuse; substantial misconduct and mismanagement; abuse of power; and potential criminal misconduct committed by and under the supervision of then-ATF Office of Human Resources and Professional Development (HRPD) Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Lisa Boykin and HR Division Chief Ralph Bittelari,&rdquo; the senators&rsquo; letter read.<\/p>\n<p>Ernst and Grassley then outlined the alleged conduct by Boykin and Bittelari.<\/p>\n<p>They claimed, for instance, that Bittelari &ldquo;fraudulently certified that a position description for the Chief of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/major-win-2a-community-doj-atf-repeal-much-hated-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ATF&rsquo;s<\/a> Workforce Wellness and Services Division (WWSD) located at ATF&rsquo;s DC Headquarters was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blm-leader-assures-l-a-county-d-a-gascon-we-have-your-back\/\" title=\"BLM Leader Assures L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n: \u2018We Have Your Back\u2019\">law enforcement position<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The senators also accused Boykin of a &ldquo;troubling lack of candor regarding the installation of the Chief of WWSD.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) suspended ATF&rsquo;s classification authority. But this allegedly did not deter the two bureaucrats, according to the lawmakers&rsquo; letter.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Deputy Assistant Director Boykin and Division Chief Bittelari disregarded OPM&rsquo;s directives and relocated an ATF law enforcement officer from the Phoenix field office to an administrative position at ATF HQ that OPM identified as misclassified, further wasting taxpayer dollars,&rdquo; the letter read.<\/p>\n<p>All told, American taxpayers paid a heavy price for the alleged fraud.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;OPM estimated that ATF&rsquo;s illegal scheme cost taxpayers around $20 million during the five-year period they reviewed, a number the whistleblowers say is substantially understated,&rdquo; Ernst and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/grassley-savages-fbi-dir-wray-lists-5-worst-offenses-including-1-child-trafficking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grassley<\/a> wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Boykin and Bittelari face charges, this episode reminds us of two sobering facts.<\/p>\n<p>First, the Second Amendment prohibits infringement on the right to bear arms. ATF, therefore, should not exist. Neither should most of the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>Second, there is a reason why the suburbs of Washington, D.C., rank as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/americas-15-wealthiest-counties-voted-2024-presidential-election-tells-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wealthiest counties<\/a> in America, and there is a reason why they vote overwhelmingly Democrat. This scandal highlights those reasons.<\/p>\n<p>In sum, if a salary scandal diminishes both the ATF and the federal bureaucracy at large, freedom-loving Americans win.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anything that reduces the oppressive federal bureaucracy is advantageous for free American citizens. A news release from Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa states that she and Sen. Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have reported two officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging &#8220;immediate corrective action&#8221; regarding a scheme they claim cost taxpayers around $20 million. In their letter dated Friday, Ernst and Grassley accused these officials of participating in an &#8220;illegal scheme to misclassify human resources (HR) and other administrative roles as law enforcement.&#8221; Essentially, ATF employees performing administrative tasks allegedly had their positions classified as law enforcement roles to receive higher salaries and benefits. The idea of bureaucrats profiting at public expense-especially through illegal means-is concerning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2434718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ATF-flag-vs-Bondi.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5609,50902,45543,51050,55248],"class_list":["post-2434717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-allegations","tag-atf-2","tag-bondi","tag-law-enforcement-2","tag-salary-scam"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ATF-flag-vs-Bondi.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2434717"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2434721,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434717\/revisions\/2434721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2434718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2434717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2434717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2434717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}