Some federal workers have fake degrees

MSNBC ^ | May 11, 2004 | The Associated Press

[Mo1]

GAO says dozens of employees have bogus diplomas

WASHINGTON - At least 28 senior-level federal employees in eight agencies have bogus college degrees, including three managers at the office that oversees nuclear weapons safety, congressional investigators have found.

[Mo1]

Any comments??

[RexBeach]

How could GAO tell?

[AppyPappy]

Wasn't this true of one of Clinton's appointees?

[Sloth]

I'm not sure I've ever understood why anyone would pay money for these degrees. Why not just make up your own school name and print a diploma off the computer?

[.cnI redruM]

a) By demanding to see transcripts from the university offering the degree.

b) By calling the registrar to verify the authenticity.

c) If doubts still remain, send the GAO to visit the addresses listed on the transcript and see if they correspond to legitimate universities or not.

[anniegetyourgun]

No surprise here. There are ways to avoid it, but that would require good management systems and practices.

[RightWhale]

Any comments??

Even if they do, so what?

[BurbankKarl]

one way to shrink the government!

[kellynla]

And one United States senator has a bogus Purple Heart!

[Hodar]

Even if they do, so what?

Reparations for false goods. If I hire you, based upon a qualification that is found to be false; I have been a victim of fraud. This should be subject to a lawsuit, with backpay to the point of hiring, plus interest. Given the level of salary, and time that an unqualified person was paid; this should easily be a Felony.

Will this actually happen? Heck, no.... but it should.

[Mo1]

When even I applied for a job .. they would check out my referrence and history

I guess I am expected to much from our government huh?

[Dolphy]

Verifying a degree should be part of a pretty basic background check, but heck, why do background checks on those involved with nuclear safety.

[kallisti]

why weren't the school accredations checked before reimbursing tuition?

[DeaconRed]

As me ole buddy, the famous Gomer Pile Sez:
SURPRIZE
SURPRIZE

[Doohickey]

Consequence of judging people by how much formal education they've attended instead of how smart they are and how well they do their jobs.

[RightWhale]

Will this actually happen?

It will happen, but on a case by case basis. It goes deeper, though. A gov't position is a position of public trust. If a person is willing to stretch ethics a little, will he then be willing to stretch a little more and a little more. With the country in a moral crisis, and the backlash starting at the Superbowl halftime show, it appears we are going to shape up for the time being.

[Gefreiter]

Yes, one responder already mentioned the registrar. It's not hard or complicated to call a school's registrar and will almost certainly confirm or deny a degree. The school is just as interested in distancing itself from frauds as you are in ferreting them out.

[CyberAnt]

Just more of the Clinton legacy!

[longshadow]

Wasn't this true of one of Clinton's appointees?

Laura Crabtree Callahan, high ranking Dept. of Homeland Security IT manager, was caught with three "degrees" from "Hamilton University", reputedly an unaccreditted diploma mill. Crabtree came to be famous for her role in intimidating contract employees who discovered the "missing" WhiteHouse e-mails (sometimes known as "e-mail-gate") during the Clinton administration, which had NOT been turned over in response to subpoenas. Crabtree is alledged to have told the contract workers that they would not only lose their jobs, but go to jail, if they told anyone about what they had discovered.

There are several threads regarding Ms. Crabtree Callahan on FR.....