According to a news article, US military troops used government-issued travel cards to incur more than $500K in unlawful spending at casinos and nightclubs, as well as for internet gaming and drinking, during the fiscal year 2023.
Task & Purpose, a military news organization, recently reported on the spending, citing a Defense Department audit conducted by the Inspector General’s office.
According to Task & Purpose, the report, “Audit of the DoD Government Travel Charge Card Program: The Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management System,” examined probable fraud and unlawful spending.
MGM National Harbor Withdrawals
According to the audit, one service member gambled for five months using the card. That guy primarily received cash at the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino in Maryland. The service member charged $10,633 (including ATM fees) for 21 withdrawals at National Harbor and another Maryland gambling site.
Some withdrawal attempts were rejected, but others were successful.
Many of the improper charges nationally were made on federal holidays, Super Bowl weekend, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo.
Google has the most improper charges when utilizing government travel cards. Between 2020 and 2024, service personnel spent approximately $150,000 on Google Play apps.
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Prior Charges for Strip Clubs
According to Task & Purpose, a 2015 audit by the Defense Department’s Inspector General’s office uncovered about $1 million in gaming expenses spent by service members, as well as approximately $100,000 spent at strip clubs.
The military possesses around 2.3 million travel cards issued by the federal government. In the fiscal year 2023, cardholders spent around $6.4 billion in 24 million transactions. The majority of these were valid and permitted. The travel cards are intended to be used for necessary travel expenses while on official business, such as hotels, meals, and car rentals. They can also use their cards to withdraw cash. They cannot be used for personal expenses.
Officially, they are known as Government Travel Charge Cards (GTCC).
Official Travel Expenses
According to the Defense Department’s website, the GTCC program “provides travelers with a safe, effective, convenient, and commercially available method of paying for official travel expenses.” Travelers are not required to utilize personal cash for mission-related travel expenses, they may manage their GTCC account online, and reimbursement is simplified through the DoD’s travel system.”
“The GTCC also offers insurance coverage for rental cars, lost luggage, and personal injury, and provides cardholders with better payment terms, convenient, and commercially available method to pay for official travel expenses.”
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