Feds probe missing CDC gear, Theft suspected in some cases

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Feds probe missing CDC gear Theft suspected in some cases

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA*

By CRAIG SCHNEIDER

Published on: 07/12/07

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2007/07/12/cdca

udit0712.html

Federal investigators will look into the disappearance of $22

million worth of scientific equipment, computers and other items

from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An audit of procedures and an investigation into allegations of

theft at the Atlanta-based agency will be conducted by the Inspector

General's office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The inquiry was requested by a congressional oversight committee as

a consequence of its " troubling " findings last month.

" A thorough audit will help stop the bleeding of taxpayer-owned

property at CDC, " said U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) in a prepared

statement Wednesday. " In cases of theft, it will also tell us what

happened to the thieves. "

CDC officials said they have accounted for about $9 million of the

$22 million in missing goods in recent weeks as a result of efforts

to track down lost items and improve accountability.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce specifically raised

concerns about a suspected " insider " burglary of $500,000 in new

computers, and millions of dollars worth of other items missing or

unaccounted for since the last audit of the agency in 1995.

" The scope of property mismanagement and outright theft at CDC is

both astonishing and baffling, " said Barton, the ranking Republican

on the committee.

Inspector General Levinson wrote Barton on June 25, " As

requested, we will audit CDC's controls over property, such as

laptops and scientific equipment, and determine whether CDC has

adequately implemented the recommendations in the prior report. We

will separately investigate the allegations [you] identified. "

The inspector general's office declined to comment further on the

inquiries.

Between fiscal 2004 and 2006, there were 61 investigations into the

theft or disappearance of agency property. No arrests or

disciplinary action resulted from those investigations, said CDC

spokesman Tom Skinner on Wednesday. He said several investigations

are ongoing.

Skinner said much of the equipment was discovered missing during a

major reorganization in the agency. He said staff are using new

computer

programs to better track items.

He said the CDC faces tough challenges in managing property as an

agency with a nearly $9 billion budget and 15,000 employees. " We

look forward to what the inspector general has to say, and ... steps

we can take to get better at property inventory and management, " he

said.

" We take security very seriously. "