Investigative Priorities

Our top investigative priorities involve crimes with a public safety impact, fraud schemes that significantly impact DOT funds, employee integrity violations, and consumer and workforce protection.

Transportation Safety Investigations:  The goal of this program is to enhance DOT's transportation safety goals by investigating crimes where death or serious bodily injury has or is likely to occur. These types of investigaitons typically involve parties that egregiously violate DOT’s safety regulations and statutes. Our investigations—and resultant prosecutions—are separate from, but complement the regulatory enforcement programs of DOT's Operating Administrations. The availability of criminal sanctions sends a message to violators who consider regulatory/civil penalties simply a cost of doing business. In this priority area there are three sub-areas:

• Aviation safety investigations typically involve counterfeit or substandard aircraft parts, falsified aircraft and aircraft parts maintenance records, and false certifications involving pilot and mechanic licensing and maintenance records.
• Motor carrier safety investigations include falsified drivers’ hours-of-service logs, fraudulently or corruptly obtained commercial drivers' licenses, falsified truck or bus maintenance records, and fraud in testing commercial drivers for drug and alcohol abuse.
• Hazardous materials investigations concern the illegal and undeclared shipment of hazmat in all modes of transportation.

Procurement and Grant Fraud Investigations: The goal of this program is to protect the loss of Federal transportation dollars by investigating fraud by grantees, grant recipients, and DOT contractors. In addition, this program helps ensure a level economic playing field for American workers and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) in the distribution of Federal transportation funds. The types of frauds typically seen in DOT procurements and grants include, allegations of bribery and corruption, bid rigging, false claims, labor and materials over-charging, DBE fraud, and product substitution. The Office of Investigations also has a proactive fraud awareness and education outreach program with stakeholders at all levels of Government.

Employee Integrity Investigations: The goal of this program is to promote program integrity by investigating serious employee misconduct which may result in State or Federal criminal charges or discipline including suspension or removal. These types of investigations address a wide range of violations involving DOT employees, such as time and attendance fraud, travel voucher fraud, misuse of Government property or funds, conflicts of interest, ethics violations, and other prohibited personnel actions.

Consumer and Workforce Fraud Investigations: The goal of this program is to protect American consumers and workers from egregious acts of fraud in connection with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration economic regulatory programs, such as household goods and motor carrier broker fraud schemes.