INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Christopher B. Laughlin, 37, of Whiteland, has been sentenced to one year of federal probation and must pay restitution of $69,846.44 after pleading guilty to making false statements in his government employment.
Federal employees, contractors, and military members must undergo a background investigation to determine their suitability for serving in a position of trust and obtaining any required security clearance. Background investigators conduct interviews, review documents, and record the information they find in reports. Federal agencies rely on these reports to determine the suitability of subjects for sensitive positions and security clearance.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) is responsible for conducting background investigations of certain individuals who are either employed by or seeking employment with federal agencies or government contractors. DCSA utilizes a variety of internal controls to verify the work of investigators and help ensure the integrity of its investigations.
According to court documents, Christopher Laughlin began working as a federal background investigator at the United States Office of Personnel Management in May 2018. His position was transferred to DCSA on September 30, 2019.
On August 2, 2021, as part of DCSA’s internal control process, an individual reported that Laughlin never interviewed them, contrary to Laughlin’s statements in an investigation report. DCSA investigated and identified three other sources Laughlin claimed to have interviewed in the same investigation who all stated they’d never had been. DCSA then initiated a formal investigation into Laughlin’s conduct.
Investigators determined that between February 18 and September 1, 2021, Laughlin submitted at least 22 false reports containing fabricated statements from at least 43 interviews that never actually happened. The reports included statements that the sources purportedly made to Laughlin by people he never spoke with. DCSA spent $69.846.44 in payroll and travel to conduct the investigations that Laughlin fabricated.
“Compromising the integrity of the security clearance process puts our country’s most sensitive information at unnecessary risk,” said Darrin K. Jones, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS, along with our investigative partners, will continue to aggressively pursue bad actors whose actions threaten to undermine the public’s trust.”
