CONTRACTOR BACKGROUND CHECKS

We initiated an investigation to determine if an Amtrak contractor, its employee, or both, violated Amtrak’s Contractor Background Checks policy after receiving allegations that the employee was a registered sex offender. The investigation disclosed that the contractor employee was arrested in 2002 and pleaded guilty to a sexual offense involving a minor between 2000 and 2002. The contractor employee was sentenced in 2002, received a suspended state prison sentence of 12 years, was placed on probation for five years, and was required to meet several other requirements. When the contractor hired the employee in 2008, the company did not have a background check policy for contractors; therefore, we did not find that the contractor or its employee violated company policy. The company instituted its background check policy for contractors in 2009.

While we did not find a violation of the policy, we raised concerns with the company regarding the contractor employee’s access to sensitive information. As a result, Amtrak contacted the contractor and advised that the contractor employee was no longer permitted to work under the Amtrak contract. The individual was ultimately removed from the Amtrak site.