I am pleased to announce the release of the BART Office of the Inspector General’s latest investigative report. Our report delves into critical issues surrounding time theft within BART and underscores our commitment to transparency and accountability.

More Time Theft Cases - Cause for Concern

The BART OIG substantiated three allegations of time theft. Dollar loss is at least $9,004, but time-data patterns and other evidence support the likelihood of a higher loss. One of the three employees retired after being confronted by the BART Police Department (BPD), which we referred the matter to for assistance. The BPD presented their investigative findings to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, which filed charges against the employee on November 3, 2023. The other two employees admitted to their misconduct prior to involving the BPD and we referred those matters to BART Executive Management for discipline in accordance with labor agreements.

The BART OIG has substantiated five allegations of time theft in the past two years. In four of the five instances, the patterns were the same: the BART employee would clock-in for their shift and then spend most or portions of their paid workdays absent from District worksites altogether. In the most egregious cases, the employee would still report having worked overtime despite not having performed their duties at all during their scheduled shift. We released our first report on February 3, 2023, and our second report on September 8, 2023.

Time theft, or payroll fraud, adversely affects the District, public, and employees. It takes funding away from critical needs such as repairs and maintenance, which hinders the District’s ability to provide safe, clean, reliable service to the public. Time theft is also harmful to other employees who perform their work and adhere to laws and policies in conducting their duties. It requires them to carry a larger workload and diminishes opportunities for regular pay increases.

You can read this and all of the Office of the Inspector General’s reports on our website at www.bart.gov/oig.

Sincerely,

Claudette Biemeret
Inspector General
Email: InspectorGeneral@bart.gov
Phone: 510-464-6141