Jim McElhatton
Articles by Jim McElhatton
Government watchdog mismanages its own funds
The government watchdog that recently chided the State Department for losing track of billions of dollars in contracts has had its own troubles with procurement mismanagement. Published April 23, 2014
Transparency’s end: Sen. Richard Blumenthal fights subpoena of own records in union case
Sen. Richard Blumenthal has pushed for more transparency in financial markets, contracting and higher education since taking office in 2011, but he recently went to federal court to keep some of his own records from public view. Published April 22, 2014
GSA IG helped recover Depression-era masterworks
He made his name as a fraud fighter, but Brian Miller's legacy at one of Washington's biggest bureaucracies could be as champion of the arts — stolen art in particular. Published April 21, 2014
HHS nominee Sylvia Burwell entangled in MetLife lawsuit
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Obama's nominee to lead the country's health care overhaul, remains entangled in a lawsuit brought by shareholders of MetLife accusing her of misleading investors as a director of one of the country's biggest insurance companies. Published April 15, 2014
HHS nominee got $1.2M at ‘zero’ salary job at Wal-Mart
During her brief but lucrative stint as president of Wal-Mart's charitable foundation in 2012, Sylvia Matthews Burwell received at least $750,000 in bonuses from an organization that doles out hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions but keeps a tight lid on its own compensation practices, records show. Published April 14, 2014
Federal workers watch ‘Star Trek’ on clock
Exploring new frontiers in time and attendance fraud, a group of federal employees and contractors spent one day last summer at a local restaurant followed by an afternoon watching the latest "Star Trek" movie — all at taxpayers' expense. Published April 10, 2014
Sen. Menendez pal Salomon Melgen collected $20 million from Medicare
A Florida eye doctor whose office was raided by federal authorities last year, prompting scrutiny of his close ties to New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, billed Medicare more than $20 million in 2012 alone, newly released records show. Published April 9, 2014
U.S. picks up $700 million tab for coalition’s food and laundry in Afghanistan
In a staggering loss of money even by Pentagon standards, the U.S. military and two contractors left American taxpayers on the hook for more than $700 million in food, laundry and other services that should have been billed to countries that sent troops to Afghanistan. Published April 7, 2014
Watchdog who exposed lavish Vegas conference retires
The government watchdog who blew the whistle on a lavish taxpayer-funded conference in Las Vegas, setting off a chain of events that saw agencies across government keep a closer eye on travel and conference spending, is retiring. Published April 7, 2014
Snooping in sensitive or off-limits databases a growing problem
An investigative analyst for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's office of inspector general "misused his position" to dig up criminal history and personal information through the FBI's criminal database —the latest example of government employees snooping into sensitive electronic law enforcement files. Published April 3, 2014
Disgraced IRS contractor charged in murder
The chief executive of a company that won a half-billion dollars in IRS work then became the public face of a set-aside contract scandal last year was charged Tuesday in the murder of his estranged wife in Loudoun County, Va. Published April 2, 2014
Lockheed sees surge in profits after shutdown
This time a year ago, Lockheed Martin officials warned of impending layoffs, furloughs and a devastating impact to its massive supplier base as sequestration hit across the federal government. But in the end, things didn't turn out so bad for the government's top contractor. Published April 1, 2014
Company claims underpayment for land sold for 9/11 memorial
A federal judge has ordered the National Park Service to review a scrap dealer's claims that the federal government shortchanged his company when buying land for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. Published March 31, 2014
Secret Service and alcohol don’t mix
The three members of an elite Secret Service squad, placed on leave for heavy drinking this week while preparing for President Obama's visit to the Netherlands, were just the latest example of agents coming under scrutiny for misbehavior tied to alcohol. Published March 27, 2014
Fraud still rife despite scrutiny of background check system
Despite heightened concerns over holes in the federal government's system for conducting employee background checks, complaints about investigators filing fraudulent or falsified records have led to 35 cases in fiscal 2013. Published March 26, 2014
Feds defy warnings over porn surfing; more get caught years after scandal
When confronted with the charge that he had looked at pornography on his government computer 13,224 times during a 14-month span, one Bureau of Public Debt employee offered a novel excuse: He had too much time on his hands. Published March 20, 2014
Republicans seek review of John Beale’s work while at EPA
A former high-ranking EPA staffer convicted of stealing nearly $900,000 by pretending to be a CIA spy played a key role in sweeping environmental regulations, according to a report Senate Republicans released Wednesday. Published March 19, 2014
EPA gives campaign paper trail to Democrats; little trace of FOIA requests from Republicans
With midterm elections not far off, Democratic opposition researchers are armed with thousands of pages of records obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency, far outpacing known Republican efforts to pry information loose from the agency. Published March 18, 2014
Mental institution release request languishes
Federal prosecutors in Washington say a man locked up in a city hospital for the criminally insane since stealing a $20 necklace in 1971 should remain there, but are still offering no clues on why his bid for release has languished in the courts for nearly six years. Published March 17, 2014
Appeals court upholds D.C. man’s 18-year sentence for $600 drug deal
A D.C. man sentenced to nearly two decades in prison after his conviction on a $600 drug deal saw his closely-watched appeal rejected Friday, as defense attorneys prepare to take the case to the Supreme Court. Published March 16, 2014
