COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A former White House adviser and Bush administration nominee to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has been arrested and charged with theft for receiving phony refunds at department stores.

Montgomery County police arrested Claude Alexander Allen, 45, of Gaithersburg, on Thursday for allegedly returning more than $5,000 worth of merchandise he did not buy, according to county law enforcement officials and a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges are state, not federal.

Allen was a domestic policy adviser at the White House until he resigned abruptly on Feb. 9. At the time, he said he was leaving to spend more time with his family. Bush thanked him for "his many years of principled and dedicated service to our country."

Before joining the White House, Allen was the No. 2 official at the Health and Human Services Department. He came to Washington during the president's first term after serving as secretary of Health and Human Resources in Virginia.

The president nominated Allen in 2003 to sit on the Fourth Circuit appeals court, but the nomination was filibustered in part because Maryland's two senators objected because the post he was to fill is usually held by a Maryland judge. At the time, Allen was a Virginia resident.

Calls to Allen's house in Gaithersburg were not returned. The White House also did not return calls seeking comment.

According to police spokesman Lt. Eric Burnett, Allen has been under investigation since at least January for the alleged thefts on 25 different occasions at Target and Hecht's stores. Police reviewed his credit card records to track his purchase.

Allen, Claude A.

BIOGRAPHY

Claude A. Allen
Deputy Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Claude A. Allen was confirmed by the Senate as the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services on May 26, 2001.

HHS is the federal government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The department includes some 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities, including medical and social science research, preventing outbreak of infectious disease, assuring food and drug safety, Medicare and Medicaid, financial assistance for low-income families, Head Start, substance abuse treatment and prevention and services for older Americans. The department's budget in fiscal year 2001 is $429 billion.

As Deputy Secretary, Allen works closely with HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on all major policy and management issues, and he serves as the department’s chief operating officer.

Prior to joining HHS, Allen was Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, leading 13 agencies and 15,000 employees. Allen led Governor Gilmore’s initiative for Virginia’s new Patients Bill of Rights passed in 1999, allowing patient appeals for adverse coverage decisions made by health plans, and direct access to physician specialists. Allen also spearheaded Virginia’s welfare reform initiative and provided leadership to overhaul the state’s mental health institutions and community services. Additionally, Allen was responsible for implementing the Governor’s private health insurance program for children and families, offering lower-cost coverage options to thousands of uninsured Virginians.

Before joining the Gilmore administration, Allen was Counsel to the Attorney General, and later, Deputy Attorney General for the Civil Litigation Division in the Office of the Attorney General, Virginia. He reported directly to then-Attorney General Gilmore on legal, legislative, and policy matters, including all health, education and welfare issues. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Allen practiced law in Washington, D.C., specializing in government contracts, litigation, and legislative affairs.

Allen holds both a Juris Doctorate and a Masters of Law in International and Comparative Law from Duke University Law School. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning degrees in Political Science and Linguistics. Allen is married to the former Jannese Mitchell and is father of Claude Alexander III, Lila-Cjoan, and Christian Isaiah.

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