Republican Iowa Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley known as on the Justice Division Monday to carry Biden-era Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives officers accountable for allegedly orchestrating an “illegal scheme” to “misclassify” administrative positions as regulation enforcement ones for better pay and advantages.
“We raised concerns because as a result of ATF’s illegal conduct, ATF staff assigned to these positions performed administrative work but unlawfully received enhanced law enforcement pay and benefits to which they were not entitled, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars,” Ernst and Grassley wrote in a letter to Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi, ATF Appearing Director Daniel Driscoll and DOJ Assistant Legal professional Basic for Administration Jolene Ann Lauria.
ATF whistleblowers and investigations carried out by the Workplace of Particular Counsel, Workplace of Personnel Administration and ATF’s inner affairs division substantiate the allegations of “illegal conduct” raised by the senators of their letter to the Trump administration officers.
The interior affairs report, accomplished in January 2024, comprises “considerable evidence of gross waste, fraud, and abuse; substantial misconduct and mismanagement; abuse of power; and potential criminal misconduct committed by and under the supervision of then-ATF Office of Human Resources and Professional Development (HRPD) Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Lisa Boykin and HR Division Chief Ralph Bittelari,” in line with the lawmakers.
The senators spotlight Bittelari’s alleged efforts to “fraudulently” certify an ATF workforce wellness function as a regulation enforcement gig – boosting pay and advantages for the place – regardless of receiving warnings and pushback from others on the bureau.
“The illegal misclassification scheme hampered the agency’s ability to carry out its law enforcement mission,” Grassley and Ernst wrote.
The pair offered proof which seems to indicate that the ATF relocated 100 field-level officers to its headquarters in Washington, DC, for human assets {and professional} growth roles – whereas permitting them to proceed receiving law-enforcement degree wages.
Boykin and Bittelari “disregarded” Workplace of Personnel Administration directives after the company concluded an audit and suspended the ATF’s classification authority, and continued to categorise HR positions as regulation enforcement ones, “further wasting taxpayer dollars,” in line with the senators.
“The OPM audit report found that experienced, rank and file ATF HR employees were passed over for career advancements and promotions because ATF assigned unqualified, inexperienced special agents to these leadership roles within [the ATF Office of Human Resources and Professional Development] and paid them more for doing similar work,” the senators wrote.
In addition they famous that the scheme value taxpayers hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
“In addition to undermining ATF’s mission, this HR scheme was also costly,” the lawmakers stated, noting that the OPM estimates the scheme value taxpayers “around $20 million during the five-year period they reviewed.”
Grassley and Ernst declare whistleblowers have advised them that determine is “substantially understated” and will doubtlessly be “in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The lawmakers requested the Trump administration to carry Boykin and Bittelari accountable for his or her “gross misconduct” — noting that the pair stay employed on the Division of Justice regardless of their alleged function within the scheme.
“The Biden administration’s ATF illegally lined employees’ pockets with tens-of-millions of taxpayer dollars. These Washington bureaucrats must answer for their misconduct, and if heads don’t roll, nothing will change,” Grassley stated in an announcement.
“It is unacceptable that the Biden administration looked the other way while ATF bureaucrats knowingly defrauded taxpayers to pad their salaries,” Ernst stated. “These desk jockeys pretending to be law enforcement officers are about to get a crash course in the law.”
“I look forward to Attorney General Pam Bondi sending a clear message that federal employees are not above the law and stealing tax dollars is a crime.”
