As part of their position, government officials in the United States are issued credit cards to be used for work related charges. However, each year, millions of dollars in charges are placed on the credit cards that are deemed fraudulent. These charges are considered abuse and officials have found to use the credit cards for such purchases as home theaters or luxury vehicles. Lawmakers have tried to rein in fraudulent spending but the problem continues.
The Inspector General of the Defense Department has revealed the findings of an audit which found that employees of the Pentagon were using the charge cards issued by the agency to play poker at casinos and charge escort services in both Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
The issue was first reported by Politico and then The Fiscal Times. In the audit report, which will be released later on this May, the Inspector General has stated that the investigation centers around DOD employees using the charge cards for casino gaming and adult entertainment.
Despite the information released by the Defense Department, officials of the Pentagon are fighting the report, claiming the findings do not necessarily mean that the government paid the bill because employees must send in receipts for reimbursement. The Pentagon has not released information as to if the employees tried to be reimbursed for the fraudulent charges.
The report highlights the problem that exists with the government trying to prevent fraud and waste when it comes to the credit card program. The cards are supposed to be used to streamline federal spending but millions of dollars continue to be spent on inappropriate purchases.
Once the report is released in the coming weeks, we shall see how the spending was conducted in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City. It will be interesting to see the full details of the report in regards to gaming spending with government officials.
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