AFOSI helps protect taxpayer dollars through fraud investigations

  • Published
  • By Mr. Mike Joseph
  • 502nd Air Base Wing OL-A Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  With $4.5 billion allocated for Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, military construction projects, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations is taking a proactive approach to protect the Air Force's investment and taxpayer dollars.

One direction in AFOSI's endeavor to watch over crucial Air Force dollars is to create a greater awareness about fraudulent acts.

As the Department of Defense come to grips with a constrained fiscal environment, for now and the foreseeable future, an even higher premium is placed on maximizing every budget dollar and stamping out fraud, waste and abuse, AFOSI officials said.

And, Air Force funds obtained through fraudulent means and subsequently recovered by AFOSI, which works closely with other federal law enforcement agencies, are returned to the Air Force.

AFOSI recovers millions of dollars every year from fraud, said Special Agent John Crowe, AFOSI 11th Field Investigations Squadron.

"One message the Air Force tries to get across - and we do, too - is this: Everyone is responsible for being a good steward of the taxpayer dollar," SA Crowe said.

"I know it's one of those big blanket phrases, but the Airman in the dormitory who may witness a fraudulent act, or the contracting officer who may discover a contract discrepancy, don't have the resources for an investigation or the ability to recover money lost from fraud," SA Crowe said. "That's our role."

There is another reason why AFOSI has ramped up to prevent and stop the fleecing of Air Force funds.

"OSI, contracting officers, and quality assurance officials can't be there all the time," SA Crowe said. "It's possible others may see or hear things about potential wrong doings by contractors or government officials as it relates to contracts. We'd rather have people call anonymously with any kind of information than not to call at all."

SA Crowe and Special Agent Alex Clifford, who jointly lead the JBSA AFOSI fraud office, said the Air Force has placed a renewed focus on fraud, including an emphasis on the Base Realignment and Closure expenditures allocated to JBSA.

While both special agents stress there are currently no indications of fraudulent improprieties within JBSA, creating fraud alertness among joint base personnel may help deter activities that past experience says can occur.

"Historically, construction is usually one of the areas more prone to fraudulent activity," SA Clifford said. "However, the contracting offices and quality assurance personnel in JBSA have told us there is no indication of fraud.

"But when you only have a dozen people overseeing 100 or more contracts, it's important for all personnel to report questionable activity."

Common fraud schemes are product substitution, bribery or kickbacks, cost mischarging and conflict of interest. While construction is a common target, those schemes can also be perpetuated in areas like service contracts.

The special agents also pointed out not all fraud, waste and abuse are tied directly to criminal motives or intent. In some cases, it could be a process or processes that are the root cause.

SA Clifford compared being on the lookout for fraud, waste and abuse to neighborhood crime watch programs. He said if something doesn't seem right, it's better to make an anonymous call than none at all. That information can be treated confidentially.

OSI works with several agencies to combat fraud.

"Two of the best teammates we have for our unit are the Air Force Audit Agency and the Defense Contract Audit Agency," SA Clifford said. "They'll also look at all the processes. Even if there's nothing criminal going on, the audit agencies may find some processes that need correcting."

Suspected fraud, waste or abuse of Air Force or Joint Base San Antonio funds can be reported to the AFOSI JBSA Fraud Office at (210) 348-6426. To find an AFOSI detachment near you, call (877) 246-1453. Other reporting avenues are available through the Inspector General's office, the Whistleblower Act (www.osc.gov) and Qui Tam provisions (www.justice.gov).