US Says Ex-Safety Chair Misused Thousands of Dollars for Airfare, Furniture
- Travel expenses of nearly $50,000 violated rules, report finds
- Safety board head spent $22,000 on furniture, watch dog says
Katherine Lemos
Photographer: Zach Gibson/Getty ImagesThe former head of the US safety agency that investigates major industrial accidents improperly charged the government for tens of thousands of dollars in travel and office-furnishing expenses, a federal watchdog said in a report made public Thursday.
Katherine Lemos, who served as chair of the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board from 2020 until July of last year, charged the government nearly $50,000 in airfare and other costs to travel from her residence in San Diego to the safety board’s headquarters in Washington, DC, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General concluded. Lemos also billed the government for a trip to Norfolk to attend the embarkation of an aircraft carrier, the report said, adding the expenses were in violation of federal travel regulations.