Plum Brook Per diem scam

[Smart People]

I think the key here is that they gave false addresses(allegedly).

[illegalsmile]

I think the key here is that they gave false addresses(allegedly).

One of the alleged offenders was the Project Manager. That might have something to do with it.

[illegalsmile]

I smell a RATT!

I wouldn't bet on that. Given the high profile nature of some of these people within the project.....Project Manager, Construction Supervisor, etc, if they were giving a false address while drawing P/D, and that hasn't been proven, only alleged....if they were doing that, it wouldn't be hard for an auditor to spot.
Anyway, I can't say I'd have a lot of sympathy for anyone who was stealing a quarter of a million of our tax dollars, nor would I be too hard on anyone who turned them in.

[snowman]

Ya mean we aren't supposed to do that now?

No, and the companies we work for now don't like people who surf the internet and post numerous messages on web site forums.

[vikingfan]

No, and the companies we work for now don't like people who surf the internet and post numerous messages on web site forums.

good thing at this point in time i'm a former employee of theirs...time to go post away

[hankrearden]

   wasnt the mota project supervisor at argonne national labs also arrested in 2000?

[johnnyreb]

   I think they took some matal they wernt allowed to have.

[vikingfan]

   I think they took some matal they wernt allowed to have.

huh please clarify !!

[illegalsmile]

huh please clarify !!

and please provide sources and facts to support this.

[azkidd]

Sounds like the same situation that people are gambling on with unemployment.  Perhaps these people were innocently using the same "loop holes" with collecting Per Diem as most of "all of you" are using to collect unemployment!!??  For instance, if you live in South Carolina, and find a "loop hole " to claim off of Mass...  Just a thought, no matter what anyone says, it is breaking the law, and one day you will be caught.  Just a thought.

[RAD-GHOST]

azkidd,

WOW, what insight!  Until your posting, I'm sure many of us didn't realize the striking similarities between the Plum Brook situation and Interstate Unemployment Claims.  I, for one, yield to your wisdom and knowledge of applicable federal and state laws.  Far be it for us commoners to grasp the intellectual abstracts of such an iconic individual as youself.  How dare those Bastards from South Carolina cross the Mason-Dixon line for double the $$$.$$! 

Whooooaaaaa.................. ...Wait a minute....................I live in South Caroline!   

SC = $323.00/week, or Mass = $575.00+/week.................................    

Just a thought.

NO, Seems more like a confirmation to me!

RG!   

[illegalsmile]

there is one minor difference between the two situations......
filing a 'Combined Wage Claim' where you 'use' the fact that you worked in more than one state to allow you to file in Mass is legal. Using a false address to obtain money the law says you're not entitled to is not. A small thing to some, apparently.

[Smart People]

Wow, let's see... i go to Boston, say "i want to open a combined wage claim" they say "where do you live? i say "North Carolina" they say "ok"
i open the claim, go home, venture on down to my local employment security commission office and say "i have a combined wage claim in Mass." they say "great! let us help you fill out the IB-1 form and send it to Mass so they will start ending you your checks".

somehow according to azkidd that is the same as telling my contract company that i'm generating dual living expenses and live more than 50 miles away when i only live three miles from the plant i'm working at.

[vikingfan]

karma to you wayne and also to smart people ! there is a vast difference between filing a combined wage claim which " legally you are entitled to " and to falsely claiming living expenses

[Smart People]

Azkidd, you should become a gold member so you can join the rest of us in the GM forum and give us a true understanding of your wisdom.

[jowlman]

Let's cut AZ a little slack.Maybe he was talking about the people that check the little box on line from their home computers instead of making the trip to file like you're supposed to do. In that respect he is correct. Some people legally get per diem other do not, some people legally do a combined wage claim, others do not........Just my two cents.
Fred

[wlrun3@aol.com]

Sounds like the same situation that people are gambling on with unemployment.  Perhaps these people were innocently using the same "loop holes" with collecting Per Diem as most of "all of you" are using to collect unemployment!!??  For instance, if you live in South Carolina, and find a "loop hole " to claim off of Mass...  Just a thought, no matter what anyone says, it is breaking the law, and one day you will be caught.  Just a thought.

" Information about Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits

   Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne M. Bump has announced that unemployed job seekers in Massachusetts will be able to receive up to 13 weeks of additional unemployment insurance benefits under a new federally-funded "Extended Benefits" program which became effective the week of July 6, 2008.

"While our state is fortunate that the unemployment rate in Massachusetts continues to be lower than the national rate and we have continued to add jobs this year, these extended benefits are critically important to those families who have been struggling to find work for so long in this economy," said Secretary Bump.

Potentially eligible claimants will be notified by the state Division of Unemployment Assistance on how and when to file for benefits. It is expected that more than 95 percent of those receiving unemployment benefits will be eligible for Extended Benefits should they be unable to find a job after 26 weeks.

To find out more about eligiblity rules and how to appy for these extended benefits, visit the Division of Unemployment Assistance website, www.mass.gov/dua or read the press release.

Patrick Administration Announces New Hotline, Website for Public to Report Workplace Fraud Activity

Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne M. Bump has announced a new toll-free hotline, 1-877-96-LABOR and website, www.mass.gov/dol/labortaskforce, for the public to anonymously report suspected cases of workplace fraud in the Bay State."

  Mass.gov, July 10, 2008

[snowman]

   I think they took some matal they wernt allowed to have.

I thought only meth heads did that. This story just gets better and better...

[Phurst]

 these extended benefits are critically important to those families who have been struggling to find work for so long in this economy,"

[radnuke61]

If the facts are true, they got what they deserved.  Those are tax dollars coming out of all our pockets.  Everyone is struggling in today's economy and it's deplorable that these people were making a buck off of those of us trying to make ends meet.  They should be made to pay back every dime, plus interest.

[Preciousblue1965]

Although I am not familiar with the whole "per diem" concept as far as contractors go and all that, there are some questions that may shed some light on the subject a bit better.

How close were they to the 50 mile limit.  If they were 20 miles, sure no brainer.  But if they were 47 miles, it could be a little more hazy.  Direct line distance might be 47 miles but driving distance could be 51 miles. 

What were they using to measure the distance?  Was it driving distance, staight line distance, Mapquest Distance, Road signs, etc?

While I agree that it they were truly and knowingly defrauding the Government then they should be punished appropriately.  However without having all the facts, I feel we should refrain from judging them horrible people. 

[retired nuke]

Although I am not familiar with the whole "per diem" concept as far as contractors go and all that, there are some questions that may shed some light on the subject a bit better.

How close were they to the 50 mile limit.  If they were 20 miles, sure no brainer.  But if they were 47 miles, it could be a little more hazy.  Direct line distance might be 47 miles but driving distance could be 51 miles. 

What were they using to measure the distance?  Was it driving distance, staight line distance, Mapquest Distance, Road signs, etc?

While I agree that it they were truly and knowingly defrauding the Government then they should be punished appropriately.  However without having all the facts, I feel we should refrain from judging them horrible people. 

Per diem is a reimbursement for living expenses while working (and living) away from home. It is tax deductable for companies. It is income for employees that recieve it and do not maintain a residence away from home while working > 50 miles away. Many road techs claim the perdiem, and write off expenses while on the road - many just pretend the perdiem and the expenses don't exist - call it a wash.
For employees that are living in their normal residence, and collecting perdiem, that money is taxed as income. To recieve perdiem while a government contractor, and live in their normal residence the perdiem is fraud, as the government has additional rules regarding the payment of perdiem.
Making a deal with your site supervisor to collect perdiem when not eligible, lays the company open to fraud, loss of contract and ineligibility to bid on future contracts, as company management (the supervisor) was part of the fraud. This affects other employees of that company, as they, being employees of a no-longer-eligible bidder, may find themselves unemployed. And a replacement contractor may be reluctant to hire former employees of a company under fraud investigation until the investigation is complete, to prevent said investigation following said former employees to thier company.
So, it's not just a matter of a mile or two either way. And it may affect more than the people currently being investigated.

They are innocent until proven guilty. But if they are found guilty, I hope that a suitable and compensatory (repayment) punishment is administered.

[justatech]

How close were they to the 50 mile limit.  If they were 20 miles, sure no brainer.  But if they were 47 miles, it could be a little more hazy.  Direct line distance might be 47 miles but driving distance could be 51 miles.  What were they using to measure the distance?  Was it driving distance, straight line distance, Mapquest Distance, Road signs, etc?

One guy lives in Sandusky  so it's <10 miles to site -
The others live in Oak Harbor, Ohio per the newspaper to the site in Sandusky, Ohio  Estimated Time: 37 minutes Estimated Distance: 28.65 miles (per Map Quest)