Page 26 - Desert Lightning News August 2016

26 August 5, 2016 Desert Lightning News

Entitlement Fraud www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
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Special Agent Rob Fields

Commander, AFOSI, Detachment 217

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Allegations of pay and allow- Enforcement
ance fraud here are always a serious concern. roughout our Air Force, recent When OSI uncovers an allegation of a crime, any crime for which we
allegations substantiated through investigative work have uncovered hundreds of have jurisdiction and a purview, we pursue those allegations thoroughly
thousands of dollars in damages against the US government, with potential to run and vigorously. Law enforcement, after the fact, kicks in here. If our inves-
into millions of dollars in damage and potential recoveries. Given the budget cut- tigations lead to the disproval of allegations, we close those cases, inform
backs and ever-tightening financial limitations under which we operate, these vio- prosecuting authorities, and move on to the next investigation. ose in-
lations of departmental policy and law, when publicized, have a tendency to erode vestigations that turn up sufficient evidence of wrong-doing get pushed
taxpayer confidence in our ability to manage critical purse strings. forward to a prosecuting authority for action. at prosecuting authority
rests with the US Attorney’s office and by commanders’ actions under the
According to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), en- UCMJ. An interesting observation from the course of my experience in
titlement fraud occurs when there is misrepresentation, fault, or lack of OSI is that when we find evidence of personal culpability in these types
good faith and the individual should have known, or reasonably known, of allegations, those cases typically also discovered a lack of leadership
that an incorrect payment has occurred, and failed to inquire or bring the involvement within the affected unit. e lack of involvement I speak of
matter to the appropriate official’s attention. merely suggests that sometimes individuals either look the other way, or
at times blindly support those accused, when one is presented with knowl-
A taxpayer I recently encountered amidst these investigations, who wished edge of a “victimless crime.” When I refer to leadership in this regard, my
to remain unidentified, poignantly remarked, “It shakes my confidence greatly intention is to express that leadership can come from a first line supervisor,
because it makes me wonder how else their (the US military) lack of oversight a shop chief, and at times even the more senior individuals in a unity, such
and integrity is hitting my wallet. I think it also unfairly casts other people in a as a superintendent, first sergeant, and/or unit commander. e enforce-
negative light, even if they’re using the program correctly.” I believe these con- ment angle I emphasize in this passage isn’t exclusively for the enforcement
cerns are most valid. I also believe that their negative effects can be mitigated of the laws and regulations after the fact, but for the enforcement of our
by four means within our collective and individual spans of control. ese four Core Values along the way. I believe if we set and enforced standards at our
means are: integrity, attention to detail, education, and enforcement. most local level (office, shop, work center), incidents of these crimes would
be significantly reduced.
To give the reader a snapshot of the scope of this problem within our Air Force, It is vitally important that service members and their leaders are honest
I can share with you that OSI conducted almost two dozen investigations related stewards of the funds entrusted to them. Believe it or not, OSI is here to
to pay and allowance fraud allegations in the last three years at another location help. Our mission is to identify and neutralize threats to the Air Force and
(not here in Arizona). Specifically, the investigations I mention proved that ser- Department of Defense. e misappropriation of hundreds of thousands
vice members fraudulently claimed residency or rental amounts to receive funds (or even millions) of dollars is a direct threat to our Air Force in these chal-
for which they were not legitimately entitled. ose particular investigations re- lenging financial times.
sulted in prosecutions of offenders, resulting in numerous felony convictions and If we can help you in any way, please reach out. If you have any informa-
the court-ordered recovery of over $500,000 in fines and restitution from those tion with regard to fraudulent receipt of military entitlements, please give
offenders. is process also shed light on poor bookkeeping practices of service us a call. Feel free to give my team a call locally at 520-228-5168, text us a
members and their servicing institutions. Finally, as unbiased investigators, know tip to 274637 (CRIMES), e-mail us at http://www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.
that we were also able to disprove some allegations, exonerating those individuals aspx, or drop by our office located at building 4300 (on Madera, located in
who were suspected of committing financial crimes against the US government the building with the AZ MVD office).
and removing the stigma associated with being a “suspect” of a crime.

Integrity & Attention to Detail
e Air Force Core Value of integrity is probably the single most important

means to mitigate or put an end to pay and allowance fraud. Attention to detail is a
motto imprinted and continually reinforced upon each and every Air Force mem-
ber. Following these two means alone would eliminate this problem in a perfect
word. It’s just plain and simple:

- Pay attention and understand the documents that you sign and certify
- Don’t make claims you aren’t entitled to receive
- If you receive erroneous payments, notify your local finance office and/or leadership
- If you are not sure if a payment you received was in error, ask your local finance
office for help
- Don’t spend money that doesn’t belong to you
- If you know of anyone else receiving funds for which they are not eligible, report it
Education
Taking a step beyond exercising our integrity and paying attention to the details
of our financial commitments, I can say that educating commanders, super-
visors, and service members is also critical to safeguarding our reduced fi-
nancial resources. My OSI team here in Tucson continues to be available for
educational briefings on a one-on-one, group, or commander’s call setting.
Beyond the realm of education/prevention from OSI, the finance offices of
the 355th Fighter Wing and 162th Air National Guard have professionals on
staff to address concerns of service members and their leaders.