No Misuse of Funds or Ethics Violations by an FWS Official

The OIG investigated allegations that a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) official awarded or manipulated a grant to a friend in return for a favor. It was further alleged that the official benefited from a different grant that the FWS awarded to a State agency and that he may have used inside knowledge to purchase and enroll land in a Government program so he could benefit financially. We found no evidence that the FWS official awarded or manipulated any grants that benefitted himself or others. We also found no evidence that the FWS official violated any laws or rules by purchasing land and enrolling the land into a Government program.