WASHINGTON - Jomoya S. Mobutu, a former Manager of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Office of Surface Mining ("OEO-OSM"), at the U.S. Department of the Interior ("DOI"), has pled guilty to one count of Theft of Government Funds, announced U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor and Department of Interior Inspector General Earl E. Devaney.

Mobutu, 58, of Silver Spring, Maryland, entered his guilty plea earlier today in U.S. District Court before the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Mobutu is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2009, and could face up to 6 months in prison under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as a result of the guilty plea. Pursuant to his guilty plea, Mobutu agreed to resign from DOI.

According to the factual proffer agreed to by Mobutu, from July 2006 to June 2008, Mobutu was employed at OEO-OSM as the Manager, a GS-15 position. His office was located in Washington, D.C.

During the period of Mobutu's employment, OEO-OSM had a government credit card account with Bank of America. As the Manager of OEO-OSM, Mobutu supervised the government purchase cardholder for OEO-OSM.

In the fall of 2007, Mobutu began directing the government purchase cardholder to use the OEO-OSM government credit card to purchase goods and merchandise for Mobutu's personal use and benefit, knowing that he did not have the authority to do so and that any goods and merchandise purchased with the government credit card belonged to DOI. Between September 2007 and June 2008, Mobutu, without authorization, directed his subordinates to make approximately $4,919.62 in purchases – approximately 16 items – for his personal benefit using the Bank of America credit card belonging to OEO-OSM.

Thirteen of the items purchased on the government credit card at Mobutu's direction were found in Mobutu's home in Silver Spring, Maryland, on June 26, 2008, during execution of a search warrant. Those items included a blue Dell Inspiron notebook computer, purchase price $749.99; an iPAQ pocket Personal Digital Assistant, purchase price $499.99; a Canon PowerShot S5 IS Digital Camera, purchase price $429.99; one set of Pierre Cardin luggage, purchase price $245.99; and a Garmin GPS Navigation Unit with car lighter adapter, purchase price $199.99.

Three of the items purchased on the government credit card at Mobutu's direction were later returned to DOI by Mobutu's daughters in Florida at Mobutu's direction. Those items were a pink Dell Inspiron notebook computer, purchase price $599.90; a black Dell Inspiron notebook computer, purchase price $549.98; and a Canon PowerShot Elph Digital Camera, purchase price $449.99.

Mobutu knew that he had no authority to incur charges on the government credit card for his or his daughters' personal benefit.

In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Taylor and DOI Inspector General Devaney praised the hard work of DOI OIG Special Agents David S. Bodge and Megan Wallace, Criminal Investigators Perri Borowiecki and Pete Morrow, and Program Integrity Division Deputy Director Harry Humbert. They also commended Legal Assistant April Peeler. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein, who is prosecuting this matter.