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B-255042.2 1 (1995-07-17)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacwsw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: United States GAO General Accounting Office Washington, D.C. 20548 Office of the General Counsel B-255042.2 July 17, 1995 Mr. George Strader Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance Department of Health and Human Services Dear Mr. Strader: This responds to your request, dated December 15, 1994, that we relieve Mr. Frank Claunts, Financial Management Officer, Division of Financial Management (DFM), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), from liability for $25,559 in fraudulent payments disbursed by the Parklawn Headquarters Imprest Fund (HQIF). For reasons stated below, relief is granted. From September 18, 1991 to January 22, 1992, on 33 separate occasions, Ms. Vicky Renee Jeter, a former FDA employee, submitted a total of 65 falsified Travel Vouchers and Advance of Funds Applications to the Parklawn HQIF and fraudulently obtained $25,559 in advance payments. On January 21, 1992, FDA discovered the fraudulent travel payments during a routine mailing to collect overdue advances from FDA travelers with outstanding balances. Ms. Jeter was arrested on January 27, 1992, while attempting to fraudulently obtain another advance of travel funds. She was sentenced on July 1, 1992, to 17 months in jail and 3 years of supervised probation. No restitution was ordered during her sentencing and the FDA has no prospects of recouping the funds from her. In October, 1994, we granted relief to the three cashiers involved in this case. B-255042, Oct. 28, 1994. However, we suspended the running of the statute of limitations, pursuant to 31,U.S.C. § 3526(g), with regard to Mr. Claunts, the supervisory disbursing official in those name the Parklawn HQIF was held. Under 31 U.S.C. § 3527(c), we may relieve a disbursing officer from liability for a deficiency resulting from an improper payment if we determine that the payment was not the result of bad faith or lack of reasonable care by the disbursing official. 62 Comp. Gen. 476, 478 (1983); B-248517, Oct. 29, 1992. The good faith and reasonable care of a supervisory disbursing official is shown by evidence that the supervisor maintained adequate procedures and controls to avoid errors and safeguard the funds, and took steps to ensure the system's implementation and 441628 C) (P 410/15Wo3/

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