DOJ Says Company That Vetted Snowden Faked 665,000 Background Checks
--Mike Masnick
When we last checked in on USIS, the contracting firm which large parts of the federal government and the intelligence community used to conduct background checks on employees (including Ed Snowden), we noted that it had been caught falsifying reports and claiming to have interviewed dead people. At the time, we noted at least one USIS employee had been accused of submitting 1,600 falsified credit reports. But, apparently, the story goes much, much deeper. The DOJ is now accusing USIS of faking background checks on 665,000 federal employees.
Not only that, but the practice of scamming the government seems to have been the official policy of the organization, clearly described in various emails. Basically, USIS was paid based on each completed background check, and realized it was a lot more profitable to "complete" them by not doing most of the actual work (pricey!) and just take the money (profits!).
Beginning in at least March 2008 and continuing through at least September 2012, USIS management devised and executed a scheme to deliberately circumvent contractually required quality reviews of completed background investigations in order to increase the company’s revenues and profits. Specifically, USIS devised a practice referred to internally as “dumping” or “flushing,” which involved releasing cases to OPM and representing them as complete when, in fact, not all ROIs comprising those cases had received a quality review as required by the Fieldwork Contracts.
USIS engaged in the practice of dumping in order to meet budgeted goals and, therefore, increase its revenues and profits. Given that USIS was paid by OPM for each completed case, the more cases USIS completed each month the more money it received from OPM. USIS’s dumping practices also enabled the company to receive annual performance incentive payments that it would not otherwise have been entitled to receive absent the dumping
Oh, and it became so profitable, they set up a computer program to help them defraud the government and not complete background checks. No joke.
You have to hand it to them. Not only did they figure out how to scam the government, they sure as hell did it efficiently. That's the American spirit at work!
In fact, it appears this became a key part of how USIS worked. Originally, it would only "dump" unfinished cases at the end of each day if it was behind schedule. But, later it realized it could get paid more by dumping these cases repeatedly during the day. No need to build up a queue, just dump... and get paid.
The DOJ also has emails showing that senior management was well aware this was going on and even participated or encouraged the activity.
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MUCH MORE and a good read at:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140124/12433225982/doj-says-company-that-vetted-snowden-faked-665000-background-checks.shtml
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140124/12433225982/doj-says-company-that-vetted-snowden-faked-665000-background-checks.shtml
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Scammers have taken over much of this country, from Education to Security to Health Care and even the Military.
Capitalism at its finest. I'm sure there are those who will consider this scam to be brilliant except for getting caught.
How many other schemes like this are there? With hundreds, maybe thousands of Private Contractors 'guarding' our Security who knows how much corruption there is?
The worst of course is the Violations of our Constitutional Rights. THAT as Sen. Sanders said, 'has to stop'!
I feel so safe with these morons in charge of our National Security! 
