By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nineteen employees of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in Ames, Iowa, were placed on administrative leave Feb. 4 amid allegations some used veterinary credentials to improperly purchase and use prescription drugs at low cost via the APHIS for themselves, family members and pets.

“This is a very serious situation that requires immediate and decisive action,” said newly-appointed USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a teleconference with reporters. “Accountability is of the utmost importance in our laboratories, which are internationally renowned.”
The allegations stem from a two-month investigation of the APHIS, which is one of three USDA offices located on a sprawling campus in Ames. According to Cindy Smith, USDA acting undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, the investigation was prompted in January 2008 when a supervisor cited one of his employees now accused in the drug scam, which Vilsack said had been going on for several years.

“As part of looking at an appropriate conduct at work issue, the employee’s computer was evaluated, and that’s what gave APHIS the information that we provided to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), requesting that an investigation be done,” Smith said.

Acting APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea said the OIG, which started the investigation over a year ago, and the APHIS have met with and placed 17 employees identified in the investigation “as participating in or having knowledge of the alleged improper conduct on administrative leave until a complete review of the evidence provided by OIG is conducted.”

Vilsack said the drugs the employees – among the 19 implicated were biologists and veterinarians – ordered were non-narcotic and identified as muscle relaxants, anti-hypertension medicine, vitamins and Amoxicillin. Although the drugs were meant for animal use, he said they could be used by humans.

“It may be very well that there were drugs that were primarily designed for animals that were taken by individuals, and taken and used for purposes that were inappropriate,” he told reporters. “But that’s part of the investigation.”

While there was no evidence that any test results or other official laboratory activities were compromised, Shea said the names of the USDA employees implicated in the alleged drug scam won’t be released until the OIG’s investigation was complete.

“APHIS is dedicated to protecting American agriculture, and this investigation and its results will by no means prevent us from our critical mission of ensuring animal and plant health,” he said. “The laboratory review has been completed, and although we are still in the process of thoroughly evaluating the results, we are gratified to see that it affirmed the laboratory is generally functioning very well and successfully fulfilling its responsibilities.”

Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, said “in an effort to be fully transparent and reaffirm the trust of the American public, our stakeholders and trading partners,” he has commissioned two independent reviews that would determine how Ames employees “used the USDA to order prescription drugs” at reduced prices through the APHIS.

He added it was possible that more employees would be identified in the scam. “Due to privacy concerns, we cannot release the names of any employees involved and since the investigation is ongoing, there are limits to the amount of information we can provide at this time,” he said.

“I am committed to this charge and with the support and hard work of all USDA employees, I am confident that we will uphold the American people’s trust.”

The two other USDA labs located in Ames are the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics, which is part of the APHIS, and the National Animal Disease Center, under the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).