Report  Office of the Inspector General Annual Report 2020

In 2020, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found multiple ways to assist public employees facing new challenges because of the pandemic. It did this while continuing to fulfill its efforts to promote transparency in government, help public agencies run more effectively, and educate government employees and the public on using public funds appropriately.

The OIG continues to cultivate a diverse, skilled and engaged workforce dedicated to excellence, teamwork and the highest standards of professional conduct within a supportive, inclusive and collaborative work environment. 

Here are a few highlights from last year:

• Recovered $1.8 million in restitutions and settlements.
• Provided training to over 5,000 participants, a dramatic rise in attendance over previous years.
• Received and responded to 2,986 complaints on our fraud hotlines, more than double the number of complaints from 2019.
• Launched a consolidated OIG COVID-19 Information and Resources page on the OIG’s website.
• Collaborated with the COVID-19 Response Command Center to address hotline complaints.
• Established our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which strives to help the OIG implement the best practices to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Led investigations that resulted in the successful prosecution of two Department of Developmental Services employees who committed larceny while working at state-operated group homes.
• Conducted a joint investigation that led to the indictment of an accountant for allegedly stealing $930,000 from 4 Massachusetts towns.
• Found that Methuen’s former leaders failed the city’s residents, and that the former police chief put his interests above the city’s, in connection with two police contracts.
• Examined overtime shifts at the Massachusetts State Police to determine whether overtime abuses exist in various troops within the department.
• Continued its in-depth review of the Merit Rating Board, the unit within the Registry of Motor Vehicles responsible for maintaining and updating driving records.
• Participated in the development of policies and procedures related to the Commonwealth’s public design and construction laws, reviewed public land transactions and provided input on more than 100 pieces of legislation.
• Awarded our first-ever John William Ward Performance Recognition Award to the OIG’s Regulatory and Compliance Division.