A former investigator for the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management has been sentenced to prison for falsifying background checks he conducted.
Thomas S. Fitzgerald, 48, of Crofton, was sentenced in federal court in the District to 90 days in prison and 180 days of home detention.
He pleaded guilty in March to one count of making a false statement, admitting that he made up information on background investigations he conducted on federal employees and contractors. Between March 2005 and May 2006, he represented that he interviewed a source or reviewed a record when he hadn’t done so in more than two dozen investigations, according to prosecutors.
Federal agencies used those checks to determine whether someone should receive security clearances.
Fitzgerald was also ordered to serve 400 hours of community service and pay OPM nearly $107,000 in restitution. The agency had to rework several background investigations that were assigned to him after the charges came to light.
