Sex, Cocaine, and Kick-backs in the US Interior Department
A report by the Inspector General of the US Interior Department has found that officials in charge of collecting oil royalties has been involved in sexual relations with their subordinates, buying cocaine in their office, and receiving kick-backs from contractors.
Government officials in charge of collecting billions of dollars worth of royalties from oil and gas companies accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and illicit sex with employees of the energy firms, federal investigators reported yesterday.
Investigators from the Interior Department’s inspector general’s office said more than a dozen employees, including the former director of the oil royalty program, took meals, ski trips, sports tickets and golf outings from industry representatives. The report alleges that the former director, Gregory W. Smith, also netted more than $30,000 from improper outside work.
The report focused on the role of the former director, Gregory W. Smith, and how he bought cocaine from his secretary’s boyfriend.
The report said that Mr. Smith improperly used his position with the royalty program to get an outside consulting job helping a technical services firm seek deals with oil and gas companies with which he was also conducting official business.
The report accused Mr. Smith of improperly accepting gifts from the oil and gas industry, of engaging in sex with two subordinates and of using cocaine that he purchased from his secretary or her boyfriend several times a year between 2002 and 2005. He sometimes asked for the drugs and received them in his office during work hours, the report said.
The report also said that Mr. Smith lied to investigators about these and other incidents, and that he urged the two women subordinates to mislead the investigators as well.


Paul Mcsharry
Another achievement under the Bush Administration
September 13th, 2008 at 9:59 pmbone
cheers.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:06 pm