Golden Hammer: Naval Weapons Station Earle employees misused funds after Sandy

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, civilian workers at New Jerseys Naval Weapons Station Earle used the bases money to buy ceramic tile, molding and toilet partitions for their personal houses and exploited overtime pay with some putting in and being approved for 24-hour work shifts during the disaster.

In addition, the bases public works department is plagued with nepotism and mismanagement, and is under the supervision of a woman who handles heavy ammunition and explosives despite being fitted with a heart defibrillator, which, by Navy standards, automatically disqualifies her from the job.

These are a few of the findings uncovered in a May 2014 Judge Advocate General investigation into the operations of Naval Weapons Station Earle obtained by The Washington Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Other charges investigated in the report include heavy equipment like a metal-shearing machine going missing from the base, union overcharges and employee harassment, such as having an individuals workplace trashed. The work environment was so toxic, the report found, that one dispute escalated into unsubstantiated charges of drinking on the job .

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC, Mid-Atlantic (MIDLANT) conducted a command investigation into Management and Safety Practices at Public Works Department Earle, the 42-page JAG report explains. Based on the evidence collected, it appears that the EDP Program at PWD Earle has been mismanaged for years.

The report continued: Based on the evidence reviewed, it appears that the management of over time at PWD Earle during Hurricane Sandy was nonexistent and that there is a consistent pattern of mischarging labor, material and tools at PWD Earle.

For diverting taxpayer money to private use, cases of nepotism and other dubious hirings, mismanagement and maintenance of a toxic work environment, Naval Weapons Station Earle wins this weeks Golden Hammer, a weekly distinction given by The Washington Times highlighting examples of wasteful federal spending.

Watchdog groups outraged

The kind of stuff we are talking about in this report should not only bring firings but potentially criminal charges, said Leslie Paige, vice president for policy and communications at the nonpartisan Citizens Against Government Waste, who was briefed on the report. Were talking about peoples lives being at stake.

A source close to the JAG investigation, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told The Washington Times that while management continues to turn a blind eye to the problem, nearby residents in Colts Neck, New Jersey, are being endangered.

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Golden Hammer: Naval Weapons Station Earle employees misused funds after Sandy