The director of one of the Bureau of Land Management’s largest state offices has been on administrative leave following an Office of Inspector General investigation that found he violated ethics rules and procedures by accepting an improper gift and misusing his government-issued vehicle.
Andrew Archuleta, who since January 2022 has served as director of the Wyoming office that manages about 17.5 million acres of public lands and 40 million acres of subsurface mineral estate, was placed on leave following the issuing of a report by the Interior Department’s inspector general, according to three Interior officials familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
The IG’s report, which was dated Feb. 21, said it found that Archuleta violated ethical conduct standards when he “accepted a gift of dinner and drinks” from the owner of a commercial sign manufacturing company. The IG report listed the company owner as a “prohibited source,” without further explanation.
The IG also reported that Archuleta “misused his subordinate’s time in violation of the Standards of Ethical Conduct when he requested or encouraged his executive assistant to use her official time to make air travel arrangements for his girlfriend to accompany him on official travel.”
