Unsuck DC Metro: Is there a Growing Credit Card Scandal at Metro?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Is there a Growing Credit Card Scandal at Metro?

As Metro makes the rounds to rationalize yet more fare hikes, a Metro source tells Unsuck DC Metro that Assistant General Manager of Planning and Joint Development, Nat Bottigheimer, and former Director of Real Estate, Steve Goldin, were both admonished for procurement irregularities involving the misuse of Metro credit cards.

Goldin, who reported to Bottigheimer, quietly resigned, and Bottigheimer was suspended for some time, the source said.

"There are other scandals with procurement growing, big ones," said the source.

Another source who was not familiar with this particular case said "there are too many people walking around here with credit cards. They are flooding the system with purchases, and there aren't inspectors who come out and check the claims against the items in stock."

Other items:
Girls says she was attacked on bus while everyone stood by (Fox)
Metro ranks most dangerous stations (PDF WMATA)

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+8 Vote up Vote down

Ex MEtro · 681 weeks ago

Credit cards at Metro are handed out like business cards. Was only a matter of time til it bit em in the ass

+8 Vote up Vote down

Matt G · 681 weeks ago

They probably maxed them out on the 7000 cars and the yellow vests -- that's why there weren't enough for standard issue in everyone's car.

+20 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 681 weeks ago

Wait a minute. They misused company credit cards and were admonished??

I'd have been on my ass instantly and probably facing charges if I did that at my place of work!

2 replies · active 681 weeks ago

+10 Vote up Vote down

J Jeter · 681 weeks ago

That means you believe in slavery. The logic is undeniable.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 681 weeks ago

You must believe in Slavery to think this goes on!

I know of metro employee who was fired for credit card theft and told us she was getting back pay and her job back, She helped Jeter get re-elected. She was on the election committee.

+7 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 681 weeks ago

And once again, the riders take the heat for Metro's failures. If it's not the doors on the cars, it's their crappy fiscal "policy".

+29 Vote up Vote down

Stan Dessel · 681 weeks ago

These credit cards went towards buying me an iPad for every room in the house to I can tweet and stuff.

+18 Vote up Vote down

John · 681 weeks ago

I'm surprised their crappy accounting department even found this out. After all, it took those bozos 4 freaking years to realize people were just pulling money out of the ticket matchines....

4 replies · active 681 weeks ago

+14 Vote up Vote down

John · 681 weeks ago

I forgot. I shouldn't even give them credit for that. The only reason anyone found out about it was the convenience store clerk got sick of those morons coming in with bags of coins to buy lotto tickets, so he reported it...

Who knows how long it would have taken accounting to notice.

+8 Vote up Vote down

@ChrisHowdy · 681 weeks ago

If the FBI hadn't gotten involved we'd have never heard about it.

+1 Vote up Vote down

John · 681 weeks ago

Exactamundo!

+1 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 681 weeks ago

When there is no oversight, no real ethics, cover ups and poor record keeping John this is no surprise to me.

+7 Vote up Vote down

stella · 681 weeks ago

I think they should check how they hire their friends and create offices.

+10 Vote up Vote down

DC Denizen · 681 weeks ago

The clear solution here is to raise fares to pay for "extra" expenditures on credit cards. It's the riders' fault, somehow.

1 reply · active 681 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

HellOnWheelz · 681 weeks ago

And with the change in regular fares they're hitting paratransit fares double. 27% of all para fares are now $7 one-way. With the proposed increases/new calcs for off-peak rail - it'll be more like 70% of para fares will be at the maximum. Rob Gramma is OK, I guess.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Anony Mouse · 681 weeks ago

I KNEW this would happen...that Metro would begin to uncover money mismanagement scandals; first, the coin thieves, now the credit card abusers. I wouldn't be surprised if, in the near future, we find out that Metro executives have been skimming off the top. Metro is taking in more money than ever before, yet it doesn't appear that any of that additional funding is being used to repair the ever-eroding Metro infrastructure. Maybe it's because a whole bunch of those funds are going into employees' pockets. (I know it's a stretch from coin theft and credit card abuse to outright embezzlement, but it absolutely wouldn't surprise me if they eventually do discover this.)

+18 Vote up Vote down

former employee · 681 weeks ago

I remember a time when I went to Grangers to get a long list of parts for Metro. Salesman gladly took about 30 minutes to gather all the merchadise. In the mean time the Manager appear and informed me that we do not bill Metro anymore "takes to long to get money "COD or credit card only" He then proceeded to tell me that when he has to make repeated calls for money, he always gets BS excuses. I called my Supervisor informed him of the situation and he informed me that Dept credit card is max and no petty cash available. The other contractors there were in unbelievable laughter. I don't know how much credit card allowance is given to each dept.. but I bet each dept. max out the card each month. OIG just keeping their eyes and hears closed as usual.

4 replies · active 681 weeks ago

+14 Vote up Vote down

John · 681 weeks ago

I appreciate the contributions from the former employees who tell it like it is. Keep up the good work!

+9 Vote up Vote down

Excop · 681 weeks ago

Thanks for your insider input. I feel sorry for the good metro employees who actually have some pride in their work. I was a DC cop for nine years where I would estimate 30% of the force actually did their jobs, the rest stood around and acted stupid so they could BS and check out the girls all day. Worse than the slugs were the thieves, apparently before my time Barry hired a bunch of locals with little background checks, many of whom turned into really bad cops. I quit the force because I couldn't take the corruption, butt heads with fellow officers and superiors, got zero support for doing what was right, received threats, etc. Common was to take a dealer in and have a fellow officer contact me telling me to "go ahead and drop that one." I wouldn't do that, got the reputation and they made it not worth my sanity. I don't know how much it mattered anyway considering the conviction rate in DC is ridiculously low. I imagine Wmata is similar in management style, people being promoted due to any reason other than ability, seems to be a DC thing.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Anon2 · 681 weeks ago

You are right former employee---The OIG only responds to certain complaints, requests and responses.
Employees are ignored or face retailiation.

0 Vote up Vote down

add on · 681 weeks ago

Metro has a creidt problem who they have to depend on. The wheels on the train are not mass producing within the US.. So Metro has to go overseas and get the wheels according to specs... One batch was from Brazill Metro got the wheels, according to specs...happy as hog shit in heaven.. but months later the Superviosr did not sumit the paper work and of course company did not get paid on time...and you can guess the rest "COD"

+1 Vote up Vote down

horseydeucey · 681 weeks ago

That's not fair. The answer will always be yes, won't it?
Try these:
Is there a growing cat-raping scandal at Metro? Wouldn't surprise me.
Is there a growing hair-eating scandal at Metro? Why not?
Is there a growing Electric Slide scandal at Metro? Boogie oogie oogie.

They should be trusted with nothing.
Our air is in jeopardy with Metro.
Our safety is in jeopardy with Metro.
Our money is in jeopardy with Metro.
Metro is no account.

0 Vote up Vote down

pfc · 681 weeks ago

This is gonna be huge.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Preach · 681 weeks ago

That's the culture of the metro area. Metro, politics, schools, etc, etc.
You would think that being the nations capital would actually have an impact on integrity. This is supposed to be the prototypical city that all others want to emulate. The sad part is, they do emulate DC