A criminal investigation has been launched in connection to gifts accepted by two Amtrak employees — including drinks and “entertainment” at a strip club — from a construction contractor who received a $58 million contract from the company, The Post has learned.
The probe was confirmed by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General in response to a records request about the gifts accepted by an Amtrak management official and an inspector.
“Any responsive records are currently part of an open and pending criminal investigation,” an attorney for the Amtrak watchdog wrote in denying The Post access to the documents.
“Premature release could afford a virtual roadmap through the government’s evidence … which would provide critical insights into its legal thinking and strategy and could jeopardize the proceedings by more fully revealing the scope and nature of the government’s case,” the lawyer added.
In a publicly filed memo in March, Amtrak’s OIG said an unnamed Amtrak inspector and management official were fired earlier this year for accepting the gifts from the contractor.
“The management official received gifts from the contractor, including
three trips to Philadelphia, and drinks and entertainment at a gentleman’s club,” the memo states.
The inspector accepted gifts, including a furnace for his church, a suit, and a pair of shoes, from the construction official, who was awarded a $58 million contract from Amtrak, it adds.
Amtrak, a for-profit rail company, receives federal and local subsidies and is subject to oversight by its inspector general.
The OIG has investigative and audit resources designed, in part, to sniff out fraud, waste and abuse in the company, according to its website.
A spokesperson for Amtrak said the company is aware of the criminal investigation, and they take the violations “very seriously.”
“We are aware of the pending criminal investigation as it relates to these specific incidents. Amtrak employees must operate with honesty and integrity, and we take violations of company policy — whether from our employees or vendors — very seriously,” the spokesperson said.
A rep for the US Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia said she could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. A spokesperson for the Justice Department in Washington, DC, declined to comment.
