Using money from fines paid by fishermen, the NOAA law enforcement office in Seattle manipulated procurement procedures to acquire a luxury undercover cabin boat that was used as a pleasure craft by unidentified personnel — including at least one agent, his wife and friends — according to a new, detailed report from the U.S. Commerce Department’s inspector general.
According to the report, More than $300,000 was taken from the Asset Forfeiture Fund, made up of fines paid by fishermen for violations of the Manguson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, to pay for the 35-foot Boston Whaler in 2008, and another $9,400 was charged to the forfeiture fund for moorage, fuel and maintenance.
The report drew immediate reaction today in Congress, where Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown briefed the Senate saying, “NOAA had no reasonable official use for this boat.”
"The sad truth is,” Brown said, “it was a fishermen funded party boat for bureaucrats.”
Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.