Findings of Misconduct by a State’s Attorney for Misuse of Federal Grant Funds

On January 10th, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced it had completed an investigation of a state's attorney for misuse of federal funds.

The investigation began after a tip from a state agency alleged that a victim advocate in the state’s attorney’s office performed work on matters for the State’s Attorney’s private law firm unrelated to their position, while being paid with federal grant funds. Along with state law enforcement, the OIG confirmed that the advocate had--with the full knowledge of the State's Attorney--charged the full cost of their working hours to federal grants, despite spending a portion of that time performing work for the State's Attorney's private firm. During the investigation, the State’s Attorney also made multiple false statements, in violation of federal law.

While the DOJ declined to pursue criminal prosecution of the State's Attorney, their report was submitted to both the Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Professional Responsibility for further action.

Access the official investigative summary at https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/DOJ/23-017.pdf