June 23, 2015 - WASHINGTON (WJLA) - An audit of timesheets submitted by Amtrak workers turned up potential abuse and fraud according to the Office of Inspector General for the agency. The report shows stunning claims by some who work the rails. The 7 On Your Side I-Team reviewed the 25-page report, which details claims of employees who worked as many as 40 hours in the course of a 24-hour day.

The audit examined timesheets for more than 19,000 Amtrak employees. It was completed in an effort to find fraud and waste, which the Office of Inspector General appears to have found, calling for more analysis and action by management after uncovering patterns.

The audit found in more than 2000 timecards, Amtrak employees reported working at least 40 overtime hours in addition to their 40 regular hours. Some people, the report found, said they worked as many as 74 overtime hours in a week.

Employees also reported working overtime even when they weren't on the clock for their regular shifts according to the audit. That happened hundreds of times, with nine specific employees saying they worked more than 100 hours of overtime.

Additionally, the audit uncovered extremely long hours on more than 1,000 days submitted by employees, who said they worked more than 24 regular and overtime hours each day. Ten specific timesheets showed employees who claimed they worked at least 40 hours in one day.

The report also highlights workers who say they've worked as many as 100 days in a row.

The On Your Side I-Team received the following response from Amtrak in response to the audit's findings:

"Amtrak does not tolerate fraud, waste and abuse or behaviors that are inconsistent with our company values and standards of conduct. We expect all employees to charge their time accurately and consistent with company policy and labor agreements. We are reviewing the recent OIG report and will thoroughly investigate any findings of improper or fraudulent time charging," said Kimberly Woods with Amtrak Corporate Communications.

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