Government credit cards used at casino, to buy jewelry

WASHINGTON -- Interior Department employees used government-issued credit cards to pay their rent, withdraw money at casinos and buy jewelry and furniture, an audit found.

Almost three-quarters of the department's 79,000 workers have government credit cards, and the agency's inspector general found myriad problems with use and oversight. Some 1,116 former Interior employees still had active charge card accounts, but the report found no evidence of activity on them.

"The department and its bureaus do not have sufficient controls in place to minimize abuse of the charge card," the report said. Some reviews of purchases "were done inadequately or in a perfunctory matter, some were not done on a regular basis, and some were not done at all."

Interior spokesman John Wright said Tuesday the department is working to solve the problems identified in the audit, which was completed in December. Training has begun to help managers spot abuse, and those who fail to recognize it could face disciplinary action.

The audit was completed a year after the Clinton administration gave the Interior Department a "Hammer Award" for good management of its credit card system.

Governmentwide, 398,000 employees have permission to make business purchases on credit cards.