When you look up government in the dictionary, one of the definitions is waste of taxpayer dollars. Well, that’s not exactly true, but perhaps in the future that’s what government will mean.
Over the years, there have been numerous circumstances of bureaucrats and politicians wasting taxpayer dollars on frivolous items and personal charges that should be paid out of pocket, such as, you know, gambling and strip clubs.
According to a new report, Department of Defense (DOD) employees were provided with government-issued credit cards, but it turns out that more than $4 million were made in personal charges, including at casinos and strip clubs.
The DOD Inspector General issued the report this month and found that during a one-year period there were 20 million transactions for $3.4 billion on government credit cards. Out of this money, $3.2 million was spent at casinos and about $1 million was spent on personal expenses, including $100,000 at strip clubs by 646 cardholders.
Ostensibly, the United States Air Force was the largest offender in the report as it outspent other branches and DOD employees with these credit cards. Investigators found that the Air Force charged the taxpayers roughly $400,000 in personal expenses at casinos and another $40,000 at strip clubs.
The U.S. Army was a close second, however. This part of the DOD spent $350,000 at casinos and another $35,000 at so-called “adult entertainment establishments.”
Investigators provided several examples of egregious and questionable spending behaviors, including:
- A Naval Special Welfare Group employee charged dozens of transactions worth $1,116 on a government credit card worth $1,116 at strip clubs throughout a business trip to El Paso. The employee charged another $650 worth of food, drinks and bank withdrawals.
- A North Carolina Air Force senior airman charged $4,686 on the credit card at the Sapphire Gentleman’s Club VIP Room for himself and his friends in Las Vegas.
Despite the scandal, the DOD travel office is reportedly giving itself a round of applause because the dubious spending represents just a small fraction of total credit card spending.
Perhaps these public sector bureaucrats need to watch this brief video:
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