Top Pentagon auditor reassigned

[unhappycamper]

Top Pentagon auditor reassigned
By Elise Castelli - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 27, 2009 18:28:18 EDT

Embattled Defense Contract Audit Agency Director April Stephenson was removed from her post Monday, the Defense Department announced.

Stephenson, who has spent her entire 22-year career at DCAA, was reassigned to “an executive position” on Defense Department Comptroller Robert Hale’s staff, said Navy Cmdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman. Hale, who oversees DCAA, replaced Stephenson with Army Auditor General Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, who leads the DCAA oversight committee Hale established earlier this year, takes over Nov. 9.

Stephenson’s 21-month tenure as DCAA director has been dominated by the fallout from two Government Accountability Office reports that found auditors cut corners, changed audit findings to be favorable to contractors without good cause, and rushed audits to completion to meet cost and management pressures.

Stephenson “implemented a number of improvements to address issues cited in recent GAO reports of DCAA shortcomings,” James said. But he said Fitzgerald is being named the director “because DoD leaders feel he is the best-qualified person to continue making improvements at DCAA. This reassignment is intended to bring in a new leader at DCAA, with a fresh perspective and ideas.”

DCAA performs audits of contractor billing, accounting and management systems to ensure that the companies are accurately charging the government for the work they do.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_pentagon_auditor_102709/

[DrDan]

1. "changed audit findings" - should have been terminated