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FBI Retaliation Against Employee Highlighted in New Filing by Empower Oversight to OPR, IG
Press Release
January 17, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Empower Oversight is pressing the Justice Department Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate retaliation against an FBI unit chief and program manager after she made protected disclosures to her chain of command.
Monica Shillingburg, a program manager and unit chief at the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (“NICS”) before being retaliated against, brought to light numerous deficiencies in moving NICS background check appeals to the Biometric Services Section of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI.
Despite her warnings, the FBI forged ahead with the move, including creating a report touting the move which was subsequently proven to contain numerous errors. The Bureau’s own actions confirm her beliefs were reasonable, because it has since moved the program from the Biometric Services Section back to the NICS Section, telling employees the decision was based on many of the same reasons Shillingburg had cited in her whistleblower complaint.
Since her protected disclosures, FBI management has reassigned Shillingburg, denied previously approved work arrangements, and threatened to reduce her pay.
In a letter to the Justice Department’s Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility, Empower Oversight recounted Shillingburg’s case (see text of letter below and here) and asked the two offices to investigate the reprisal against Shillingburg and take corrective action.
https://empowr.us/fbi-retaliation-against-employee-highlighted-in-new-filing-by-empower-oversight-to-opr-ig/