Amtrak OIG investigation leads to arrest, charges for fraudulent fuel charges on Amtrak vehicles

For Immediate Release:

August 17, 2021

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey gas station manager was charged August 5, 2021, in connection with entering fraudulent charges on fuel credit cards assigned to at least four Amtrak vehicles.

Umer Hassan Mir, 39, of South Amboy, was charged by complaint with knowingly and intentionally stealing and converting to his own use approximately $9,600 in money of a department or agency of the United States. He was also charged with making false statements to federal law enforcement.

According to court documents, from July 2019 through August 2021, Mir allegedly caused numerous fraudulent fuel charges to be entered on Government Services Administration fuel credit cards which were assigned to Amtrak vehicles. Mir allegedly collected information from the GSA credit cards during legitimate transactions and used that information to make manual transactions in the point-of-sale terminal. Following each false transaction, Mir allegedly withdrew money from the cash register in the amount of the fraudulent transaction.

The theft charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison while the false statement charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Additionally, each charge carries a maximum $250,000 fine. The charges and allegations are merely accusations, and Mir is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

In addition to the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, the case was investigated by the General Services Administration OIG and inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Reports of fraud, waste, or abuse; criminal or unethical acts affecting Amtrak’s property or operations; or mismanagement in Amtrak programs or operations can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the Amtrak OIG Hotline at 1-800-468-5469 or online at https://amtrakoig.gov/report-fraud-waste-abuse.

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