Reports: Investigations

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) conducted a proactive review of AmeriCorps employees who may have improperly applied for and received unemployment insurance (UI) payments while actively employed. AmeriCorps OIG developed a list of potential matches of AmeriCorps employees and individuals who had applied for UI benefits. AmeriCorps OIG identified ten potential matches for further investigation.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated an allegation that AmeriCorps members serving at the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) in Burlington, VT, were directed to alter previously approved timesheets. The investigation foundevidence that CEDO’s AmeriCorps Program Director had directed five members to alter previously approved timesheets, including altering timesheets weeks after the end of their service terms in order to raise the hours served to meet the minimum threshold to earn Segal Education Awards.

An AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigation found that AmeriCorps was inconsistent in how it handled allegations of misconduct by senior management and that AmeriCorps hired a third-party contractor to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement on the part of a senior manager without notifying OIG as required by AmeriCorps Policy 102.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated allegations that a contractor submitted invoices under its Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with AmeriCorps that included unallowable and/or unsupported costs.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated allegations that the former Executive Director (ED) of the Volunteer and Community Service Commission of Puerto Rico (Commission) attempted to use AmeriCorps funds to award a sole-source contract to a close friend, required prayers before AmeriCorps events, and requested subgrantees allow AmeriCorps members to perform service outside the scope of their grant.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated allegations that AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members were paid as employees of the Mississippi Center for Re-Entry (MSCRE) while simultaneously receiving an AmeriCorps living allowance for service at the organization, and that MSCRE’s founder instructed VISTA members to not disclose their employment relationship to AmeriCorps.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated an allegation that the President of the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps (GLCCC) misused personal identifiable information provided by prospective AmeriCorps members at recruitment sessions to enroll them in AmeriCorps' Education Award Program, even though the members did not provide service. It was also alleged that these prospective members were enrolled in the MyAmeriCorps portal with the GLCCC President’s email address.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) received an allegation that a former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Corps member with the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) was sexually assaulted while on deployment. It was further alleged that NCCC failed to investigate the allegation or report the allegation to law enforcement, failed to take disciplinary action against the alleged assailant, and removed the member from the NCCC program.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated allegations that multiple AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program (SCP) volunteers submitted falsified timesheets during their service at Kansas City Shepherd’s Center (KCSC). The investigation substantiated that three SCP volunteers submitted falsified timesheets and received a combined total of $7,769.82 in Federal funds as a result. One of the volunteers, Manuel Benson Jr., pled guilty to one count of 18 U.S.C.