A former background investigator from Northern Virginia pleaded guilty to falsifying his reports about prospective federal employees.
Stewart Chase, 53, of Sterling, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in D.C. to a charge of making a false statements. He faces up to five years in prison, and has agreed to pay back $131,000 in restitution to the federal government.
Chase, a contract employee for the Federal Investigative Services, admitted to falsifying more than four dozen investigative reports, including claiming that he had conducted interviews and obtained documents when he did not. The reports were used to determine whether job candidates were fit for the position, and the agency had to re-do Chase’s work at a cost of about $131,000.
In the past three years, eight investigators and two records keepers have been convicted for falsifying background checks, according to Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C.
