For immediate release: February 18, 2020

WMATA OIG announces partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force

The following is a news release by the WMATA Office of Inspector General

Inspector General Geoffrey A. Cherrington today announced that special agents from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General (WMATA-OIG) will be partnering with the Department of Justice’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) in order to detect bid-rigging, fraud, and other crimes impacting WMATA’s programs.

In November 2019, the Justice Department announced the formation of the new Strike Force, which focuses on deterring, detecting, and prosecuting antitrust crimes, such as bid-rigging and related fraudulent schemes, that affect government procurement, grant and program funding. The Strike Force is an interagency partnership consisting of prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and multiple U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, including the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, as well as investigators from multiple law enforcement partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and several federal Offices of Inspector General.

As WMATA continues to fund significant capital investment projects in the National Capital Region, WMATA OIG agents will be working with the Strike Force – namely, the District of Columbia and Eastern District of Virginia PCSF teams – in an effort to protect WMATA from bid-rigging and fraud schemes, root out crimes being committed against the Authority, and safeguard taxpayer money.

Individuals and companies are encouraged to contact the OIG at wmata-oig-hotline@verizon.net or 888-234-2374 if they have information concerning such conduct identified above involving funds administered by WMATA. To learn more about the PCSF or how to report suspected criminal activity affecting government contracting and procurement, please visit https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

WMATA-OIG is an independent and objective unit of WMATA that conducts investigations relating to WMATA activities.