A former executive for the Department of the Interior is facing 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he used his government-issued credit card to go on a shopping spree.
Jamoya Mobutu was an anti-discrimination officer for the agency. He pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to using his government credit card to buy nearly $5,000 worth of computers, briefcases and cameras.
A law enforcement official told The Examiner that Mobutu also was encouraging his underlings to use their government credit cards for similar purposes when he was arrested.
Mobutu was arrested in late June. He pleaded guilty to theft charges, which carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. He also faces a maximum $250,000 fine.
Under the sentencing guidelines, however, he’ll likely face much less time behind bars. Sentencing guidelines — which are no longer mandatory — call for a sentence of between zero and six months in prison.
Procurement experts routinely warn against issuing credit cards to employees, precisely because there’s no way to keep workers from using the cards for their own purposes.
Mobutu will be sentenced early next year.
