Federal report: Border Patrol faulted in vehicle sales
By: North County Times wire services SAN DIEGO - A federal report says the Border Patrol's San Diego sector mismanaged the disposal of its aging vehicle fleet in recent years, selling some vehicles improperly and, in some cases, prematurely after major repairs. | ∞
The Office of Inspector General, a watchdog office within the Homeland Security Department, audited the sector's vehicle disposal and sales program between October 2003 and May 2005, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The audit was requested by Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, who said he was contacted about two years ago by whistleblowers who alleged mismanagement of the sector's assets, according to the newspaper.
According to the report released Wednesday and Border Patrol sources who spoke to the Union-Tribune, the sector received $750,000 from the now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service after requesting funds in late 2000 to extend the life of its then-aging fleet of 1994-'96 model Ford Broncos.
The report says the sector spent the money repairing 129 vehicles in its patrol fleet, according to the Union-Tribune. What happened next is what is being criticized.
"We had a couple of people who were really upset with what they saw as waste of money, perhaps corruption," Filner told the newspaper.
The report says that after spending money on repairs, the sector sold some of the fixed vehicles while lesser-maintained vehicles were kept, the Union- Tribune reported.
Operable vehicles were sold for scrap and, in some instances, disposed of with major components intact. In other instances, the sector reportedly cannibalized parts from scrapped vehicles, but it didn't document the parts and was unable to account for them, according to the report cited by the Union-Tribune.
During fiscal 2002, the report says, according to the Union-Tribune, the sector downgraded 131 operable vehicles to scrap and auctioned them at small lot sales despite an agreement to transfer them to another government agency. Most of them were then reportedly resolted "at substantial profit."
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