SPARKS, Nev. (KOLO) – A former employee with the U.S. Department of the Army and resident of Sparks has pleaded guilty to charges of improperly using his government credit card for personal purchases.
The DOJ says Tamilo Pale Fe’a used the card to make nearly $2,800 worth of purchases for his personal vehicle.
They say that from Sept. 2020 to Aug. 2021, Fe’a made about 69 transactions with an Army fuel fleet credit card for his personal benefit at various gas stations in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and California.
Fe’a has agreed to pay more than $80,000 in restitution to the government to the government for the equipment he is alleged to have stolen.
Fe’a has now pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud and faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
He will be sentenced in January of next year.
“Government charge cards are strictly distributed to facilitate official operations, not to serve as personal expense accounts,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Public servants and government contractors are held to rigorous ethical and legal standards. Our office will continue working alongside our inspector general partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who abuse their access to public resources for personal gain.”
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