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Bureau of the Boss' Nephew's Homework

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to: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006, at 5:31 PM ET

The Justice Department's Office of Inspector General received an anonymous complaint in January claiming that Carl J. Truscott, then director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, was mismanaging public funds. Among the accusations were that Truscott had used his security detail to excess; abused travel restrictions; hired an unqualified former colleague and gave him an undeserved raise and bonus; and made expensive and unnecessary changes to the design for a new headquarters building (with particular emphasis on the director's suite).

A more piquant accusation arose after the IG's office had begun its investigation. It concerned a high-school video project assigned to Truscott's nephew. The nephew asked his uncle for a little help, and ... well, one thing led to another, and by the time it was done, 20 ATF employees had spent a combined total of roughly 50 man-hours on the task. Read about it below and on the following eleven pages, drawn from the Inspector General's 187-page report. (To read the report in its entirety, click here.) The IG concluded that the director, despite showing "poor judgment" and failing to "seek sufficient guidance," acted "within his discretion" in all but one of the areas reviewed. The single infraction was l'affaire homework. On this, the IG found that Truscott had violated ethics regulations regarding use of public office for private gain; unauthorized use of government property; and use of a subordinate's official time. (For details, see pages 11 and 12 of this document.) Truscott submitted a letter of resignation in August, about a month before this report saw daylight.

And the nephew? He got an "A."

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hot document
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to: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006, at 5:31 PM ET
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Bonnie Goldstein is a former special investigator to the U.S. Senate and investigative producer for ABC News.
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