FBI: Awans Security Clearances “Forged;” ...Falsified Vetting

True Pundit ^ | September 12, 2017 | Investigative Bureau

[wtd]

• TruePundit: FBI: Awans Security Clearances “Forged;” Granted Access to Congressional Intel Despite Falsified Vetting

  Federal law enforcement agents working the Imran Awan and Hina Alvi fraud probe said the couple, along with other members of the family, were never properly vetted for Congressional security clearances.

  Instead the clearances, which provided the Awans access to dozens of Congressional Democrats computer networks and IT systems, were likely approved absent each individual background file getting “fully investigated.”

  “I seriously doubt they could have passed a full background (check),” one FBI insider said. “These clearances were pushed through.”

  FBI insiders used the word “forged” to describe the process of what happened to the Awan files. Federal law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case divulged:

  Either someone with clout in Congress, or higher, made sure the Awans received their security clearances despite glaring problems or the investigators pushed their files through for approval as part of a systemic breakdown.

  Many assertions in the Awan-linked applications and files could not be verified by subsequent FBI vetting as part of the criminal case now pending against Imran and Hina. The files are problematic, FBI sources said.

  The FBI did not conduct the background checks on members of the Awan family who were granted security clearances in Congress..

  A former FBI section chief and security clearance expert said this type of malfeasance is commonplace in D.C.

  The Inspector General found widespread fraud in firms conducting Congressional and government background checks, often cutting corners to approve files without vetting the applicants.

  This type of overt government malfeasance regarding security clearances is very common, according to former FBI section chief Michael F. McMahon. As an agent, McMahon was the FBI’s key whistle blower on the troublesome gaps plaguing the federal system rubber stamps security clearances for unqualified applicants.

  “I do not know agency or agencies that performed background investigations on Awan and cohorts,” McMahon said. “The FBI is the bellwether or gold standard by which vetting, background checks, name checks are conducted throughout the intelligence community.”

  But McMahon said the FBI does not conduct background checks for Congressional aides like the Awan-linked family, even though the personnel are granted access to classified intelligence. Instead the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is tasked with providing security clearances for such employees and hires subcontractors to do the work. The results can be quite haphazard, McMahon said.

  Federal agents with knowledge of the Awan investigation echo McMahon: The FBI did not work the cases which provided the Awans access to a treasure trove of government intelligence, including the emails of over two dozens Democratic member of Congress.

  This is not something new in Washington, D.C.

  According to a 2014 audit by the U.S. Office of the Inspector General, which oversees OPM, thousands of background clearances for Congress and elsewhere in government were forged, or pushed through without more than a few minutes of investigation.

  Among many failures, the IG found OPM had no way or verifying if all components of each applicant’s security clearance file had been vetted. One company, USIS which likely conducted the majority of Awan background sweeps for Congress, was caught forcing through thousands of security clearance cases without having examined their contents, the report shows. One USIS investigator approved over 15,000 case files in one month “with most of these occurring within minutes of each other on multiple days,” according to the report. USIS conducted clearance sweeps for OPM until late 2014 when the businesses folded.

  

  Portion of the Inspector General’s Finding on OPM Fraud on security clearances.

  Former FBI McMahon said USIS forged as many as 665,000 federal security clearances.

  McMahon has been trying to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss ways to seal the dangerous trap doors in government background checks.

  “If the FBI had fixed the name check issues when I blew the whistle and held those responsible publicly accountable while in FBI during 2008 to 2009 or thereafter, I believe Navy Yard killer, Riverside killers, Mr. Manning, Mr. Snowden and the 665,000 falsified USIS background checks might never had occurred,” he said.

[libstripper]

Absolutely. DWS was a high ranking stooge, just like Adolph Eichman in Nazi Germany, who was only a LT Col. And was a murderous, committed fanatic who could be used, and was used, as a cut out to protect equally guilty higher ups.

[Cementjungle]

FBI: “Since these clearances are fraudlent, we have no process in place to revoke them, so they will have to remain active”

[Rebelbase]

"There will be consequences"

Looking forward to it you traitorous cnut.

[Grampa Dave]

Okay, this bs hit two summers ago. At that time it appeared that OPM was hacked and people with TS clearances were revealed.

I don’t remember reading about of the gun decking TS clearances that OPM was churning out by the thousands.

OPM Suspends Background Check System:

Union Slams Agency with Class-Action Data Breach Lawsuit
Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • June 30, 2015

https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/opm-suspends-background-check-database-a-8364

[varon]

With Jeff Sessions, running things, I am not confident that anything that leads high in the Democrat party will be investigated or prosecuted

I don't like saying this but Sessions doesn't instill any confidence in me that he is interested or capable of prosecuting anything more serious than an overdue parking ticket.......

[az_gila]

Stopped reading after 3 paragraphs. No credibility. With all the people they worked for and had contact with, NO ONE questioned their access and clearance levels???

Not buying it.

There was some inside protection for these people.

---

I can easily see buying it. All of the CongressCritters and their staff simply looked at the badges and saw that they had the correct colors, marking or whatever on them.

The ‘inside protection’ is a separate issue.

[Liz]

USIS / From Wikipedia

USIS provided security-based information and service solutions to both government and corporate customers, in the United States and abroad. Its corporate headquarters were in Falls Church, in Greater Washington, D.C.[1] USIS was a part of Altegrity Inc., a company headquartered in the Falls Church area that was owned by Providence Equity Partners.[2]

USIS was founded in 1996 after the investigative branch of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was privatized. Its creation was due to an effort of Vice President of the United States Al Gore’s effort to reduce the size of the civil service. Originally known as U.S. Investigations Services Inc.,[2] it was at first an employee-owned company.

The Carlyle Group invested in USIS and in 2003 Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe also committed capital to them. In 2007, Carlyle announced that it would sell USIS to Providence Equity Partners, a private equity firm, for US$1.5 billion.[3]

In the fiscal year 2012, USIS received $253 million for the contract work of the OPM, 67% of the OPM’s contract spending for the fiscal year.[2]

Background checks[edit]

Aaron Alexis background check[edit]

In 2007, an OPM contract investigator employed by USIS conducted the field work for the OPM-FIS background investigation[4] on Aaron Alexis, who has been accused of killing twelve people at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, September 16, 2013.[5]

Edward Snowden investigation[edit]

In 2011, OPM contract investigators employed by USIS conducted the field work for the OPM security clearance re-investigation on Edward Snowden, who leaked classified documents beginning on June 5, 2013.[6]

On June 18, 2013, the Subcommittee on Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce and the Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, both of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, held a joint hearing.[7] Michelle B. Schmitz, the OPM assistant inspector general for investigations, testified that USIS had been under investigation since late 2011, stating that it involves a “complicated contract fraud case.”[7]

Patrick McFarland, the OPM inspector general, did not reveal the reason for the investigation of USIS, and said when asked about Snowden’s security clearance re-investigation, “We do believe there may be some problems.”[6]

USIS response to accusations regarding Alexis and Snowden[edit]

In a September 8, 2014, media release, the company insisted that, despite being “the target of inaccurate and misleading public allegations,” USIS is a responsible government contractor. It labeled as myth reports that USIS botched its field work for OPM background investigations on Aaron Alexis and Edward Snowden, calling the claim “absolutely false.”

The company asserted that “OPM confirmed in sworn testimony before Congress on February 11, 2014 that the investigative file compiled by USIS on Aaron Alexis ‘was complete and in compliance with all investigative standards.’” USIS also said it followed all OPM-mandated procedures and protocols in its background investigation of Edward Snowden.

The company further clarified that it “does not grant security clearances and plays no role in making those determinations.” The decision to grant or renew a clearance, said USIS, “is the sole responsibility of the federal government agency that requested the background investigation.”[8]

However, the OPM hired USIS to perform not only background checks but also secondary reviews of those checks to ensure that no one who shouldn’t have access to state secrets was overlooked by mistake.[1]

Fraud investigation and charges[edit]

In June 2013, the office of Senator Claire McCaskill stated that USIS was “under active criminal investigation”.[7] A statement from USIS stated that it was unaware that it was under criminal investigation.[7] It added that “USIS complied with that subpoena and has cooperated fully with the government’s civil investigative efforts”.[9]

USIS, as the government’s No. 1 provider of background checks for the United States, earned $253 million in awards this year alone.[10]

On January 23, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice filed fraud charges against USIS. The suit was originally filed by a long time USIS employee, whistleblower Blake Percival. The suit, United States of America, ex rel Blake Percival vs USIS alleges that beginning in at least March 2008 and continuing through at least September 2012, USIS management devised and executed a scheme to deliberately circumvent contractually required quality reviews of reports of investigation of completed background investigations in order to increase the company’s revenues and profits.

USIS responded that the faulty checks “relate to a small group of individuals over a specific time period.”[11] In August 2015, Altegrity agreed to forgo $30 million in payments the U.S. government owed to USIS in order to settle the case with the Department of Justice.[1]

Cyber attack[edit]

On July 7, 2014, the company said it was hit by a cyber attack prompting the US government to suspend its work with the firm. Experts who have examined the hack “believe it has all the markings of a state-sponsored attack,” but did not detail possible suspects.[12][13] The investigation revealed that the hackers broke into USIS by pivoting from an SAP system managed by a third party[14][15].

OPM drops USIS[edit]

On September 9, 2014, the OPM confirmed it would not renew any of its contracts with USIS upon their expiration at month’s end. USIS said it was “deeply disappointed with OPM’s decision,” which affects 3,000 employees handling a caseload that averaged about 21,000 background investigations a month for total fees of $320 million during the last fiscal year.[16]

Bankruptcy[edit]

In early 2015, USIS’s parent company, Altegrity (also known as Corporate Risk Holdings) filed for bankruptcy.[1]

List of references at wiki web site

[Liz]

The more you examine the Paki/infiltration of Congress, the more you sense that D/W/S did not act alone to facilitate the Democrat/Paki schemes.......but that fact does not exonerate her treasonous activities.

ITEM--This gal is super-ambitious. D/W/S actually has a spreadsheet of "people who owe her"....people she did favors for.

ITEM--D/W/S was especially keen on getting into the good graces of the half-caste Royal Idiot in the WH b/c it suited her crass self-serving ambitions.

ITEM--Strangely enough, on the surface it seemed like the half/caste kept shrugging her off.....as D/W/S pursued Obama w/ a calculated vengeance.

Distilling the info, one concludes, D/W/S was a willing "doer of tasks," but the Royal Idiot had to give the appearance that they were not connected.

The Pakis could not have (A) gotten security clearance, (B) gargantuan salaries, and, (C) visas (some say WH visas).....without some pretty high-level help.

The grotesque salaries could be one way D/W/S and Hill Democrats got paid off........via campaign contributions, kickbacks, wire-transfers, and the like.

All of D/W/S's official office and financial records need thorough examination, including: --- payroll, vouchers, expense accounts, office expenditures, travel itinerary, credit card accounts, family finances, campaign income and outgo, personal and office bank accounts, wire-transfers, snail mail, email, electronic devices, hard drives, etc etc etc.

==============================================

(HAT TIP Obadiah): My guess is that DWS is really just a small fish. A conduit. My guess is that this has deep, deep origins in the Obama White House. I think Hillary and John Podesta were orchestrating this political black ops with direct assistance from the White House, and maybe even with Obama’s direct assistance or direct knowledge. My guess is that ValJar is up to her eyeballs in this along with Podesta.

[morphing libertarian]

a disciple of hillary clinton and an up and coming criminal

[thinden]

Excerpt from US Justice Dept News; Office of Public Affairs; August 19, 2015:

U.S. Investigations Services Agrees to Forego at Least $30 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Contractor Allegedly Failed to Perform Required Quality Control Reviews on Contracts for Background Investigations with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management

The Justice Department announced today that U.S. Investigations Services Inc. (USIS) and its parent company, Altegrity, have agreed to settle allegations that USIS violated the False Claims Act (FCA) for conduct involving a contract for background investigations that USIS held with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The companies have agreed to forgo their right to collect payments that they claim were owed by OPM, valued at least at $30 million, in exchange for a release of liability under the FCA. USIS and Altegrity are headquartered in Northern Virginia.

From its privatization in 1996 until September 2014, USIS provided background investigations services for OPM under various fieldwork contracts. The government alleged that beginning in at least March 2008 and continuing through at least September 2012, USIS deliberately circumvented contractually required quality reviews of completed background investigations in order to increase the company’s revenues and profits. Specifically, USIS allegedly devised a practice referred to internally as “dumping” or “flushing,” which involved releasing cases to OPM and representing them as complete when, in fact, not all the reports of investigations comprising those cases had received a contractually-required quality review. The government contended that, relying upon USIS’ false representations, OPM issued payments and contract incentives to USIS that it would not otherwise have issued had OPM been aware that

[Liz]

Did the DNC hit the (ahem) Islamic Lottery thanks to Democrat Cong Andre Carson?

MEET THE MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN W/ A STRANGLEHOLD ON AMERICA'S SAFETY AND SECURITY----how did Andre Carson get on several major Congressional intel committees?

Rep Andre Carson (Dem-Indiana) is a member of (A) the House Intelligence and (B) House Homeland Security Committees. Carson is also ranking member of the (C) House intelligence subcommittee on Emerging Threats, which oversees the (D) Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The subcommittee oversight extends to the (E) National Counterterrorism Center and (F) information-sharing programs. (The first elected Muslim---Cong Keith Ellison---is co-chair of the DNC.)

Rep Andre Carson, an Indiana Democrat----is the second Muslim elected to Congress-----and the first Muslim on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Carson sits on several high level security committees: (A) the House Intelligence, and, (B) House Homeland Security Committees. Carson is also (C) ranking member of the House intelligence subcommittee on Emerging Threats, which oversees (D) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The subcommittee oversight extends to (E) the National Counterterrorism Center and information-sharing programs.

Carson employed Imran and is buddy-buddy w/ the Pakis. Eye-witnesses report Carson and Imran---a tax-paid US govt employee---passed the time away playing video games in Carson's Congressional office.

==============================================

(hat tip niccolo) To get these important committee appointments, Andre Carson has to be bringing in serious money for Democrats-----monies required by the DNC.

These high-level committee appointments are positions for sale. Every appointment has a dollar amount attached to it that Members desiring the positions are required to raise.

Taxpayers demand to know if Carson is channeling Islamicist cash directly into the DNC.

=======================================

======================================

Carson attends the unveiling of the commemorative bust
of his grandmother--she once held the seat he occupies.

[Magnum44]

Sandy Berger had some pretty big pants to fill, so to speak...

[thinden]

Continued from DOJ news:

“Shortcuts taken by any company that we have entrusted to conduct background investigations of future and current federal employees are unacceptable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will ensure that those who do business with the government provide all of the services for which we bargained.”

“Contractors who do business for the federal government have a responsibility to provide the goods and services that they promise,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen Jr. of the District of Columbia. “This particular company failed to meet its obligations of comprehensively reviewing the backgrounds of current and prospective federal employees. This settlement demonstrates our commitment to holding government contractors accountable.”

“This case demonstrates my office’s dedication to protecting tax payers’ money,” said U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama. “We will continue to vigorously pursue all fraud against the government in order to restore and safeguard funds paid by our citizens.”

In February 2015, Altegrity, USIS and their affiliates filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in Delaware. The settlement of USIS’ FCA liability is part of a broader settlement that also resolves other matters between the United States and USIS/Altegrity that were part of the bankruptcy proceeding.

The FCA lawsuit against USIS was originally filed under the whistleblower provisions of the act by Blake Percival, a former executive at USIS. The FCA prohibits the submission of false claims for government money or property and, under the act’s whistleblower provisions, a private party may file suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. The United States may elect to intervene and take over the case, as it did here. Mr. Percival’s share of the settlement has not yet been determined.

[thinden]

From wickapedia piece Liz posted. Drags up name of an original swamper: the Carlyle Group:

USIS provided security-based information and service solutions to both government and corporate customers, in the United States and abroad. Its corporate headquarters were in Falls Church, in Greater Washington, D.C.[1] USIS was a part of Altegrity Inc., a company headquartered in the Falls Church area that was owned by Providence Equity Partners.[2]

USIS was founded in 1996 after the investigative branch of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was privatized. Its creation was due to an effort of Vice President of the United States Al Gore’s effort to reduce the size of the civil service. Originally known as U.S. Investigations Services Inc.,[2] it was at first an employee-owned company.

The Carlyle Group invested in USIS and in 2003 Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe also committed capital to them. In 2007, Carlyle announced that it would sell USIS to Providence Equity Partners, a private equity firm, for US$1.5 billion.[3]

In the fiscal year 2012, USIS received $253 million for the contract work of the OPM, 67% of the OPM’s contract spending for the fiscal year.[2]

[blueplum]

The Inspector General found widespread fraud in firms conducting Congressional and government background checks, often cutting corners to approve files without vetting the applicants.

name them!!!! Who pushed their clearances through? Who was blackmailed? And then tell us, what group was the most discriminated against when it came to background checks for government jobs - SAY IT!

And thank you, Lord Almighty, for Trump winning because if he hadn't, we'd have never ever heard about all this &%4#&$&@$%$##&! corruption.

[SaveFerris]

Hence my Uniparty Democrats - coughJohnMcCaincough

and other Uniparty scum

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, so the Deep State thugs are making money gundecking BI checks on their fellow thugs.

“USIS was founded in 1996 after the investigative branch of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was privatized. Its creation was due to an effort of Vice President of the United States Al Gore’s effort to reduce the size of the civil service. Originally known as U.S. Investigations Services Inc.,[2] it was at first an employee-owned company.”

[ptsal]

Whew...EEE
This is a major surprise. Whodda Thunk.

Really, Crooks in Congress...that is so outrageous.   /s

[ptsal]

Where is Jeff Sessions?

[aspasia]

I tried to warn

Now if only you had some power . . .