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Senate Report: U.S. Marshals Service Used Phony Subpoenas, Overspent

Sen. Chuck Grassley blasted the agency for its “culture of mismanagement, abuse of authority and lax accountability.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee released a report Thursday accusing the U.S. Marshals Service of “pervasive misconduct” that involved the use of phony subpoenas, failure to properly punish employees, and lavish spending, The Washington Post reports. After probing the claims of over 100 “whistleblowers” during a years-long investigation, the committee reportedly found that the Marshals Service issued hundreds of fake subpoenas with pre-printed signatures in order to obtain telephone records. After the practice was discovered within the agency, no one was dismissed and two employees criticized for their roles in the practice were later promoted, according to the report. The committee found the law enforcement agency spent $22,000 on a conference table and gave one speechwriter contracts that totaled over one million dollars. The report also noted a “very troubling overall lack of accountability” within the Marshals Service, noting one instance where a senior official was allowed to retire with full benefits despite having been accused of misusing government resources, “engaging in sexual harassment,” and retaliating against employees who were investigating his conduct. Departing Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote that the agency had “a culture of mismanagement, abuse of authority and lax accountability,” and said the “culture must change.”