Defense worker charge cards used for $1 million in casinos bills: audit

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Department employees used their government credit cards to pay for more than $1 million worth of casino and adult entertainment purchases over the course of a year, an audit of transactions by the Pentagon inspector general has found.

Pentagon officials said on Thursday that use of credit cards to pay for personal transactions is considered misuse of the cards but does not mean a loss of taxpayer funds because cardholders are billed individually and have to pay unauthorized personal charges themselves.

The audit, which covered July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014, is due out in the coming weeks and has not yet been publicly released, officials said.

It found Defense Department cardholders likely used their travel cards for 4,437 transactions at casinos where they spent $952,258. They had an additional 900 transactions at adult entertainment establishments, spending $96,576.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/defense-worker-charge-cards-used-1-million-casinos-214622970.html

[840high]

1. Isn't that just lovely.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. $1 million of $3.4 billion total spending.

0.03% of spending. At that small of a level... it could even be mischaracterized stuff.

Sounds like more "See! Government workers are out of control!" stuff.

[HassleCat]

3. By Comparison

When our vigilant guardians of the public trust (GOP Congressmen) find a case where some GS-9 grunt travelling for EPA lost his luggage and had to use the travel card for some new underwear, they scream and moan about what a scandal it is, and how maybe we should impeach the president, etc. I bet they'll blow this off because DoD employees are heroes fighting the Mooze-Lims.

[47of74]

4. Yeah pretty much.

These clowns would rather our nation crumble to dust while shoveling more money into the hands of their benefactors while starting multiple wars of GOP aggression all over the globe.

[NutmegYankee]

6. They don't make distinctions on on DOD vs non-DOD.

They hate all Civil Servants equally.

[Drahthaardogs]

5. These were not paid with taxpayer dollars

It is a non-issue if technically a misuse of thecard. All holders paid their own debts with their own money

[goldent]

7. That's exactly how I read it

Same policy as companies I have worked for. This seems like a non-story.

[HassleCat]

8. A Violation

Card holders are not supposed to use the government card for personal expenses, even though they pay the CC bill with their own money. They're supposed to use their own credit cards for personal stuff.

[Drahthaardogs]

9. You are right, but the story is presented as if

the taxpayers footed the bill. It is a misuse, not a misappropriation.