Department of Energy officials wrongfully spent thousands of dollars on personal expenses such as groceries and cash advances with government-issued travel credit cards, according to a new audit.
The report from DOE’s inspector general found that officials misused the cards and kept “delinquent” account balances while supervisors often did not address the issue when flagged about it. Overall, auditors identified 149 transactions made by 32 individuals involving potential misuse of travel expenses.
“Notably, the misuse and lack of leadership action was not limited to any one program but identified across many Department program elements,” the audit said.
The identified questionable expenses totaled more than $15,000, including use of travel cards for activities such as “pediatric services,” as well as dining and shopping. In other cases, officials did not follow rules in booking travel through DOE’s system or used the cards when not on official work travel.
