Reports

08.05.2021

NIST Was Effective in Implementing the Requirements for Awarding Funds Under the CARES Act

This memorandum provides the results of our evaluation of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) plan for the implementation of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)1 funding.

Report Number OIG-21-032-I

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Audits / Evaluations

07.29.2021

Four Executives and Company Charged with Price Fixing in Ongoing Investigation into Broiler Chicken Industry

A federal grand jury in Denver, Colorado, returned an indictment yesterday charging Koch Foods, headquartered in Park Ridge, Illinois, for participating in a nationwide conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chicken products. Separately, a federal grand jury in Denver returned an indictment charging four executives for their roles in the same conspiracy.

Investigations

07.22.2021

Information Memorandum to Secretary Gina Raimondo from the Inspector General re: Reviews of the Department of Commerce's Law Enforcement Functions

We are initiating reviews of the U.S. Department of Commerce's (the Department's) law enforcement functions outside of the Office of Inspector General.

Report Number OIG-21-031-M

Office of the Secretary

Correspondence

07.16.2021

Audit of ITA's Efforts to Resolve Foreign Trade Barriers

We are initiating an audit of the International Trade Administration's (ITA's) efforts to resolve foreign trade barriers.

07.15.2021

Inspector General Letter to Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney re: OIG Case No. 19-0728

On May 31, 2019, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) received a joint letter from 13 U.S. Senators alleging that the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concealed the contribution of a political redistricting strategist in the rationale for the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Decennial Census (2020 Census).

Correspondence

07.06.2021

USPTO Has Opportunities to Improve Its Internal Controls and Oversight Related to PTA and PTE Calculations

Attached for your review is the final report on the evaluation of the United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO's) Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) and Patent Term Extension (PTE) processes.

Report Number OIG-21-030-I

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)

Audits / Evaluations

07.01.2021

Review of the Department of Commerce's Processes for Responding to Hotline Complaints

We are initiating a review of the U.S. Department of Commerce's (the Department's) processes related to hotline complaints referred by the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Office of the Secretary

06.16.2021

Audit of EDA's Monitoring of FY 2019 Disaster Relief Awards

We are initiating an audit of the Economic Development Administration's (EDA's) monitoring of fiscal year (FY) 2019 disaster relief grants.

06.16.2021

Evaluation of NTIA's Implementation of Coronavirus Response and Relief Requirements Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

We are initiating an evaluation of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA's) implementation of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Requirements under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act).

06.16.2021

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company Pleads Guilty to Causing 2016 Oil Spill and Agrees to $1 Million Fine

Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, has agreed to pay $3.35 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by selling defective material for bullet proof vests used by law enforcement officers, the Justice Department announced today.

Investigations

06.15.2021

Anchorage Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Funds from an Alaska Tribal Organization

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage woman pleaded guilty today to embezzling nearly $175,000 from the Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission (ANHSC), which was primarily funded through federal grants issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

Investigations