A former contractor who was hired to perform background checks on U.S. government workers filed a 2006 report with results of his investigation in which he claimed to have interviewed a person who had been dead for more than ten years, according to a report from Bloomberg Businessweek. The full story is available at http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-08/dead-interviewed-as-investigators-falsify-u-dot-s-dot-background-checks.
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the former contractor, Anthony J. Domico, “is among 20 investigators who have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of falsifying such reports since 2006” and that these cases of falsified background checks “may represent a fraction of the fabrications in a government vetting process with little oversight.”
According to the Bloomberg Businessweek report, along with claiming to have interviewed a person who turned out to be dead for over a decade, Domico also “falsified documents in more than two dozen cases in 2005 and 2006.” He was sentenced to five months in prison in April 2010 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of nearly $70,000.
Employees and contractors must pass a required government background check before a security clearance can be granted to access classified information and Bloomberg Businessweek reports the process has been under increased scrutiny since former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden leaked secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs to the public.
As a result of reports concerning falsified background checks, a bipartisan group of Senators has introduced legislation – the Security Clearance Oversight and Reform Enhancement (SCORE) Act – to increase oversight as to how the United States government conducts background investigations and awards security clearances.
Introduced by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), Jon Tester (D-Montana), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), the SCORE Act would also hold government employees and contractors more accountable for falsifying background investigations. A copy of the Act is available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/152980145/Tester-s-bipartisan-SCORE-Act.
Falsified background checks also show the importance of accreditation standards for private screening firms. In 2010, the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) launched an accreditation program to promote best practices, consumer protection, and legal compliance. A list of accredited background screening firms is available on the NAPBS website at http://www.napbs.com/.
Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority®’ – is a nationwide screening firm accredited by the NAPBS. For more information about background checks, visit http://www.esrcheck.com or call Toll Free 888.999.4474.
About Employment Screening Resources® (ESR):
Founded by safe hiring expert Attorney Les Rosen in 1997, Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority®’– provides accurate and actionable information that empowers employers to make informed hiring decisions for the benefit of their organizations, employees, and the public. CEO Rosen literally wrote the book on background checks with “The Safe Hiring Manual” and ESR is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), a distinction held by a small percent of screening firms. Employers choosing ESR know they have selected an agency meeting the highest industry standards. To learn more about ESR, visit http://www.esrcheck.com or call toll free 888.999.4474.
About ESR News:
The Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) News blog – ESR News – provides employment screening information for employers, recruiters, and jobseekers on a variety of topics including credit reports, criminal records, data privacy, discrimination, E-Verify, jobs reports, legal updates, negligent hiring, workplace violence, and use of search engines and social network sites for background checks. For more information about ESR News or to send comments or questions, please email ESR News Editor Thomas Ahearn at tahearn@esrcheck.com. To subscribe to the ESR News Blog Feed, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/feed/. To subscribe to the complimentary ESRcheck Report monthly newsletter, please visit http://www.esrcheck.com/Newsletter/.