NASA employees big spenders on government credit

NASA employees have got used authorities recognition card game to peal up iPods, picture games and even clothing from the agency's ain gift shop, while at other modern times using the card game in ways that hedge competitory command rules, federal written documents and a History reappraisal of federal federal agency records show.

The reappraisal come ups at a clip when United States Congress is considering tightening purchase card ordinances across government, after a federal study last calendar month that establish widespread maltreatment in authorities recognition card programs, including complaints that did not follow policies to forestall waste material and fraud.

Internal probes have got for old age uncovered similar jobs within NASA, which have long been criticized for mediocre fiscal management, even as the federal agency have pleaded with United States Congress for millions of dollars to fuel new manned missionary posts into space.

"We should be outraged. Everybody should be," said U.S. Rep. Dent Lampson, D-Stafford, whose territory includes Samuel Johnson Space Center. "Clearly we have got not done enough."

The Houston History analyzed 451,000 charges, totaling more than than $265 million, made on National Aeronautics and Space Administration purchase card game between January 2004 and July 2007. The newspaper also reviewed audits, internal studies and other written documents related to card use. Among the findings:

•NASA employees have got made numerous complaints for seemingly personal items, including custom-engraved iPods and a Christmastide tree. About $270 worth of T-shirts and chapeaus purchased from a National Aeronautics and Space Administration gift store were justified by one cardholder as "safety attire," and one former civil retainer pleaded guilty to peculation complaints last twelvemonth after disbursement more than $157,000 on things including jewelry, electronics and an air conditioner for her home.•When doing National Aeronautics and Space Administration business, most cardholders are allowed to pass only $3,000 per transaction, but many exceeded that bounds by splitting more expensive purchases into littler chunks. Some purchases were so big that they may have got got violated federal competitory command rules.•NASA hearers have pointed out purchase card maltreatments in no fewer than five internal studies since 1997.Space federal agency procurance functionaries said they are aware the purchase card program, with its monolithic volume of transactions, have at modern times fallen victim to blow and fraud.

More than 3,200 National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees used a purchase card at some point between 2004 and mid-2007, federal agency information show. Charges made on the card game are reviewed and paid directly by the government, not as reimbursements to the cardholder.

Some disciplinary actionAt least 160 lawsuits of card maltreatment were referred to National Aeronautics and Space Administration research workers during financial old age 2007 and 2008, with 25 consequent in disciplinary action.

Bill McNally, the space agency's helper decision maker for procurement, said National Aeronautics and Space Administration means to reexamine its card policies by mid-summer inch response to a recent White Person House memorandum instructing federal agencies to girth up internal controls over purchase card programs.

"We are always looking at ways to better our processes and procedures," McNally said. "Unfortunately, if people seek to acquire around those, (abuse) can happen."

Credit card abuse is not alone to the space agency. The Government Accountability Office, Congress' fact-finding arm, reported last calendar month that employees across authorities spent extensively on apparently personal minutes during 2005 and 2006.

Lawmakers were speedy to decry the waste.

Lampson, who have crusaded to increase federal support for NASA, characterized improper disbursement as an insult to the bulk of space federal agency employees and called for rough punishments.

"The fact that there are a few bad eggs ... doesn't intend the federal agency is not worthwhile," said Lampson, who sit downs on the space and astronautics subcommittee that supervises NASA. "We allow (violators) off. There necessitates to be jailhouse time."

One of the most blazing lawsuits of maltreatment occurred at Jack Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where a former employee pleaded guilty to peculation complaints and went to federal prison house last twelvemonth after a $157,000 disbursement fling was uncovered by National Aeronautics and Space Administration investigators.

Court written documents demo that the employee, Elizabeth Ii Ann Osborne, used her purchase card to peal up one thousands in personal points including clothing, jewellery and electronics between 2001 and 2005.

Among other purchases, she spent $2,000 to put in a new air conditioner at her Sunshine State home, more than than $51,000 on Wal-Mart gift card game and grocery stores and at least $13,000 on electronics from Best Buy.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration records provided to the History make not explicate justifications for the purchases, or even the specific points bought. Most of the minutes were made to sellers that look to sell legitimate concern items.

Other transactions, though not necessarily inappropriate, ranged from the funny to the bizarre, including one thousands spent at hunting and fishing retailers, paintball courses, pet stores, picture gambling services and Web land sites that sell karate gear.

At times, the records demo even apparently legitimate complaints have got run afoul of demands to offer high-dollar projects competitively.

Federal employees are allowed to utilize their card game only for what the authorities sees little purchases. Until September 2006, the bounds was $2,500; now the cap is $3,000. Bigger purchases are supposed to be shopped around to guarantee taxpayers are getting the best deal.

However, the History establish about 4,600 cases, totaling nearly $20 million, in which a National Aeronautics and Space Administration employee exceeded those bounds by swiping their card multiple modern times for the same company on a single day.

Although most of those purchases look to be with sellers that likely make legitimate National Aeronautics and Space Administration business, outside experts state that splitting complaints may ensue in unnecessarily high measures to taxpayers.

Avoiding competitory bids?Among the minutes questioned by National Aeronautics and Space Administration research workers last twelvemonth were 393 complaints to a artwork support seller totaling more than than $235,000 — so much money that not command the purchases competitively may have got been illegal, written documents show.

"That should direct up a reddish flag," said George C. Scott Amey, general advocate of the Undertaking on Government Oversight, a authorities guard dog organization. "You have got to ask: Is person trying to acquire around competitory requirements?"

NASA functionaries postulate that purchase card game save the federal agency millions. By allowing approved employees to do their ain little purchases without going through reddish tape, the federal agency can be more than productive, McNally said. Along with card benefits such as as rebates, National Aeronautics and Space Administration estimations it saved more than than $8 million last year.

"It's not as loose as people do it out to be," said Fred Lees, a Saint George American Capital University federal contract law professor who worked for National Aeronautics and Space Administration until the mid-1980s. "Once (cardholders) acquire trained and educated, they won't be doing things like that."

Bill would beef up rulesStill, surveys of card usage at National Aeronautics and Space Administration have got revealed jobs for more than than a decade. One internal audited account in 2003 suggested nine alterations to the purchase card programme — most of which advocated additional preparation and reappraisals of cardholders but stopped short of calling for additional discipline.

A follow-up audit in 2007 establish that, although those recommendations ensured cardholders were trained and their purchases reviewed, they did small to forestall them from purchasing inappropriate items.

A measure sponsored by Sen. Prince Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would necessitate federal agencies to set up precautions and penalties designed to forestall waste material in authorities recognition card programs. It passed through commission last calendar month and expects blessing by the Senate.

Days after last month's Congressional study on card abuse, Lampson signed on as a co-sponsor to a comrade measure in the House. Local Reps. Toilet Culberson, Michael McCaul and Bokkos Paul, all Republicans, are also co-sponsoring the measure.

"We don't have got adequate strengths within the (card) programme to throw people accountable," Lampson said.