Mismanagement Probe Targets Army Unit
LOS ALAMITOS — The 63rd Army Reserve Command based here is being investigated by top commanders for alleged mismanagement, including favoritism and abuse of overtime pay for civilian employees, the Army Times reports in its current edition.
Ted Bartimus, a spokesman for the command, confirmed Thursday that military investigators had been looking into the unit’s operations, but said he did not know when the results of their investigation would be released.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment at this time,†Bartimus said, adding that the unit’s commander, Maj. Gen. Stephen Bisset, also would not comment on the allegations.
Top Army Reserve commanders in Atlanta and Washington could not be reached for comment.
According to the Army Times, Maj. Gen. Roger Sandler, chief of the Army Reserve, officially launched the inquiry on July 6, when he appointed Maj. Gen. Stephen Sewell, then-commander of the 80th Army Reserve Division in Richmond, Va., to conduct an “informal investigation†into allegations of mismanagement at the Los Alamitos command headquarters. The command is responsible for about 9,000 reservists in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.
The areas of inquiry included whether training complied with Army regulations, whether training or medical records of an air crew had been falsified, and whether unauthorized passengers had been transported in military aircraft.
The military newspaper also reported that Sewell was asked to look into allegations that some command members were told not to cooperate in a preliminary investigation, or were sent away on temporary duty while investigators were questioning reservists or employees about the allegations.
The memorandum to Sewell ordering the examination also alleged that two field-grade officers may have been drawing active-duty pay while searching for civilian work, and that another officer may have “improperly influenced†performance reviews of civilian workers, according to the Army Times.
Sewell’s findings were submitted before he retired in September, but Army officials said they did not know when the investigation would be completed.
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