Page:J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol, Abused His Authority, Misused Government Property and Wasted Taxpayer Money, Among Other Substantiated Violations.pdf/2

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2021-0011-INVI-P J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol, Abused His Authority, Misused Government Property and Wasted Taxpayer Money, Among Other Substantiated Violations continues to state that the Architect of the Capitol (person) or their designee has the authority to determine if a compelling operational condition exists that would benefit AOC operations by using a motor vehicle for HTW use. If an authorized user is on leave or otherwise absent for three or more consecutive days, the policy notes that the vehicle must be housed on AOC property and further states this is governed by the rules outlined in Federal Management Regulation 102.5, HTW Transportation. Only the Architect and Chief Operating Officer are authorized to grant an exception to components of this policy if determined to be in the best interests of the AOC due to security considerations. Such exceptions must be provided in writing to the Personal Property Management Office. At the time of the investigation, no such memorandums or requests had been submitted. Blanton has not authorized any other AOC employee a HTW vehicle for their personal use on a consistent basis, and he has abused his authority by continually approving his own HTW vehicle use as well as misusing the AOC vehicle appropriated to the Architect of the Capitol.

The OIG's investigation confirmed that unauthorized use of government resources occurred within the Washington, D.C., metro area as well as West Virginia, South Carolina and Florida. Additional evidence and testimony confirmed the AOC vehicles intended for HTW transportation by Blanton were consistently used as personal vehicles by both Blanton and his family for weekend trips to a craft brewery, out-of-town trips and general family use. The AOC vehicles were driven by his spouse, Michelle Blanton (M. Blanton), and adult daughter, Reilly Blanton (R. Blanton), on a regular basis without him in the vehicle. R. Blanton advised the OIG that her father had given her permission. She had transported both her friends and boyfriend in the vehicle and referred to using the AOC's fuel as "free gas." Allowing multiple family members to drive the vehicles without him negates his need to be "tethered" (a term used by Blanton) to the vehicle and traveling outside the immediate area negates the ability to respond to emergencies at the U.S. Capitol in a timely manner for COOP or otherwise.

The OIG collected data pertaining to the three AOC vehicles assigned to Blanton from January 16, 2020 (the day Blanton was sworn in as the 12$th$ Architect of the Capitol), to February 28, 2022. A comparison of telework days, obtained from the AOC's online Time and Attendance System (WebTA™), to vehicle mileage logs showed that, during his tenure as the Architect of the Capitol, Blanton should have driven approximately 10,438 miles using AOC vehicles. Instead, a total of 29,291 miles were recorded during that time frame. While the AOC OGC and applicable law and policy allow for some incidental use during travel to and from work, Blanton and his family used AOC vehicles for an additional 18,853 miles. Evaluation of the additional mileage added to the AOC vehicles, wear and tear, and extra maintenance in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) policies for 2020 and 2021 amounted to a total of no less than $12,434.00 in unreported, taxable noncash fringe benefits to Blanton.