This is a bizarre story. But it does involve the DEA, which is an agency well known for shenanigans and operating as a isolated fiefdom. The CBS news story refers to the same aspect the gawker story does. That by paying the Amtrak secretary or employee for the data, the DEA would not have to share any "drug" money seized as a result of the information from Amtrak. This aspect I believe because this is exactly the sort of crap the DEA and other law enforcement agencies do all the time with regards to drug money or asset seizures.Amtrak apparently missed out on revenue as a result of these shenanigans.
I don't think they were saying the crews have secretaries. There are clerks, "secretaries", who work in the train and engine service crew offices. One of their duties is to print out train manifests. I would guess it might have been one of those clerks.I have said previously that I am not convinced that the Office of the Inspector General operates with correct information. Train and engine crews do not have secretaries. Their bosses might. The I.G.'s office is certainly guilty of imprecise language at a minimum, and possibly much worse. As for the D.E.A., nothing surprises me there, either.
Tom
A bizarre revelation contained in a routine Amtrak inspector general report has caught the attention of the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, is pressing the Drug Enforcement Administration about why the agency paid $854, 460 over the course of almost two decades to an Amtrak employee to get passenger name record (PNR) information. As a member of the joint drug enforcement task force, the Amtrak Police Department should have been able to give information about passengers to DEA upon request.
Amtrak has a policy of not allowing employees to accept money, gifts, trips, etc from any vendor or outside company. If this person was a "paid informant" of the DEA I would be quite surprised. I am amazed and actually sickened by the fact that this person took over $800k illegally and was then allowed to retire. If they were a management employee, I wonder if the pension was also allowed to be paid? There seems to be no punishment involved and that pisses me off!The explanation was in the original article - If the DEA got the information by FOI or interdepartmental cooperation, it would have to share the loot picked off the criminals with Amtrak. Apparently $43k/year is a whole lot less than 10% of their take.
NOTE: Not to say it's OK. The Amtrak employee should have been terminated without benefits but has apparently quietly withdrawn from the company with full retirement. And an additional $850K.
But if the Amtrak employee was a confidential paid informant of the DEA, what the employee did may have been technically legal because the DEA has powers as a law enforcement agency that trump Amtrak internal corporate regulations. I don't know how the DEA or the FBI handle CI payments, but I would not be surprised if the DEA issued a annual 1099-Misc form for the payments to the Amtrak employee. The total payment was $854K over 19 years, so the average annual payment works out to $45K a year. Nice solid side income. h34r:Amtrak has a policy of not allowing employees to accept money, gifts, trips, etc from any vendor or outside company. If this person was a "paid informant" of the DEA I would be quite surprised. I am amazed and actually sickened by the fact that this person took over $800k illegally and was then allowed to retire. If they were a management employee, I wonder if the pension was also allowed to be paid? There seems to be no punishment involved and that pisses me off!
I would assume that even of the employee was a paid informant of the DEA, there would have been some communication with Amtrak senior management. If that would trump internal,policies, senior management would still need to be informed.But if the Amtrak employee was a confidential paid informant of the DEA, what the employee did may have been technically legal because the DEA has powers as a law enforcement agency that trump Amtrak internal corporate regulations. I don't know how the DEA or the FBI handle CI payments, but I would not be surprised if the DEA issued a annual 1099-Misc form for the payments to the Amtrak employee. The total payment was $854K over 19 years, so the average annual payment works out to $45K a year. Nice solid side income. h34r:Amtrak has a policy of not allowing employees to accept money, gifts, trips, etc from any vendor or outside company. If this person was a "paid informant" of the DEA I would be quite surprised. I am amazed and actually sickened by the fact that this person took over $800k illegally and was then allowed to retire. If they were a management employee, I wonder if the pension was also allowed to be paid? There seems to be no punishment involved and that pisses me off!
If the DEA has a senior US Senator ticked off at them, we may hear more about the story with additional details in the press.
Part of the controversy is that the DEA did not inform Amtrak senior management or the Amtrak Police Department. The DEA appears to have recruited the Amtrak employee as a CI in 1995 and did not tell Amtrak about it. At all. Quite possibly so the DEA would not have to share forfeited assets with the Amtrak PD.I would assume that even of the employee was a paid informant of the DEA, there would have been some communication with Amtrak senior management. If that would trump internal,policies, senior management would still need to be informed.
Yes, this.We live in a country that has become surprisingly blind to white collar crime. Or maybe I should say white collar immorality since today's laws make actions that look all the world to be criminal perfectly legal anyhow. Add a war-on-drugs slush fund to the equation and it's just one big convoluted clusterfork. If I were Amtrak I'd be pissed at losing my money and having no means of preventing this from happening all over again. As a passenger I'm annoyed at being a pawn in yet another drug money shell game.
There are a lot of things that are legal but are prohibited by company policy. You can still be terminated for violation of that policy.But if the Amtrak employee was a confidential paid informant of the DEA, what the employee did may have been technically legal because the DEA has powers as a law enforcement agency that trump Amtrak internal corporate regulations. I don't know how the DEA or the FBI handle CI payments, but I would not be surprised if the DEA issued a annual 1099-Misc form for the payments to the Amtrak employee. The total payment was $854K over 19 years, so the average annual payment works out to $45K a year. Nice solid side income. h34r:Amtrak has a policy of not allowing employees to accept money, gifts, trips, etc from any vendor or outside company. If this person was a "paid informant" of the DEA I would be quite surprised. I am amazed and actually sickened by the fact that this person took over $800k illegally and was then allowed to retire. If they were a management employee, I wonder if the pension was also allowed to be paid? There seems to be no punishment involved and that pisses me off!
If the DEA has a senior US Senator ticked off at them, we may hear more about the story with additional details in the press.
Totally true. Loss of trust -- true.[sarcasm]Where is John Mica demanding that Amtrak sell the list to the DEA and recoupe costs?[/sarcasm]
The sad part is the loss of trust in the riding public who probably won't ever ride Amtrak again fearing their name be sold. Really, though, I think we can all agree that this also happens with Greyhound and every airliner.
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