Letter to Sally Quillian Yates, Acting Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice - Allegations of Innappropriate Hiring Practices

Letter

Dear Acting Deputy Attorney General Yates:

I write with some concern regarding allegations of inappropriate hiring practices within the United States Marshals Services (USMS) Asset Forfeiture Division (AFD). Whistleblowers with specific knowledge of the process have alleged that the AFD improperly waived qualification requirements in order to hire Donald Lenzie as a Senior Forfeiture Financial Specialist (SFFS), a highly paid contractor position.

Information obtained by the Committee suggests that Director Stacia A. Hylton personally recommended Mr. Lenzie for this position and that Kimberly Beal, then AFD Deputy Assistant Director, influenced subordinates to waive contract qualification requirements in order to hire him. It is further alleged that Ms. Beal violated these contracting standards in order to receive favorable consideration from Director Hylton in Ms. Beal's effort to become the AFD Assistant Director, a position she now occupies.

This quid pro quo exchange of favors, if true, would raise serious doubts about the operational practices of the USMS AFD under Ms. Beal as well as, frankly, Ms. Hylton's leadership of the USMS.

Accordingly, please provide the Committee with a complete written explanation of the circumstances surrounding the hiring of Mr. Lenzie no later than March 26, 2015. Please also include in your response the following information:

1. The resumes of all individuals who have filled the contractor position of SFFS under the USMS AFD contract with Forfeiture Support Associates (FSA).

2. A copy of the current and all previous versions of the contract qualification requirements used to hire SFFS contractors from 2010 to the present. Please mark each version with the date that it became effective.

Should you have questions, please contact DeLisa Lay of my Committee staff at (202) 224-5225. Thank you.

Source