The Office of Government Ethics has published its annual compilation of prosecutions under criminal conflict of interest statutes, another of its warnings that the potential consequences of violations of ethical restrictions go beyond the impact on a career.
It said that cases prosecuted by the Justice Department included: charges against an employee accused of having an undisclosed business relationship as a paid consultant for a contractor competing for work with the agency; charges against several accused of receiving cash or other payments from contractors in exchange for favorable treatment in awarding contracts; charges against several accused of involvement in awarding a contract to a business in which the employee had an undisclosed financial interest; and charges alleging false statements on financial disclosure forms and to investigators.
It said penalties in the cases included sentences of: three years of probation and a $5,000 fine; 10 months of imprisonment; 16 months of imprisonment and a $50,000 fine; a year of probation and a $50,000 fine; six months of imprisonment; a year of probation; and other penalties.
