A retired Federal employee of the Department of Interior, Jimmy W. Mayberry who lives in Texas, was sentenced to a fine and probation for violating US Government Conflict of Interest laws. The Department of Justice released a statement about the case and it is available at MarketWatch.com here. Mr. Mayberry, a rather senior civil servant at the Minerals Management Service, colluded with his supervisor to create a contract position for himself so that he could work in his old office after retiring.
The position, by law and regulation, should have been put out for competitive bid. The two men made it so that only Mr. Mayberry would qualify to get the job, which he did. It is not an uncommon practice to have a contractor hire a recently retired worker so that his expertise and knowledge will be available. Normally the Government uses their existing contract to be able to do this. In this case a specific, new contract was created and that is why it led to the criminal charges and punishment.
