Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure September 2018 Revision

U.S Department of Defense Standards of Conduct Office

The Standards of Conduct Office of the Department of Defense General Counsel’s Office assembled the following selection of cases of ethical failure for use as a training tool. The goal is to provide DoD personnel with real examples of Federal employees who have intentionally or unwittingly violated the standards of conduct. Some cases are humorous, some sad, and all are real. Some will anger you as a Federal employee and some will anger you as an American taxpayer.

Please pay particular attention to the multiple jail and probation sentences, fines, employment terminations and other sanctions that were taken as a result of these ethical failures. Violations of many ethical standards involve criminal statutes. Protect yourself and your employees by learning what you need to know and accessing your Agency ethics counselor if you become unsure of the proper course of conduct. Be sure to access them before you take action regarding the issue in question. Many of the cases displayed in this collection could have been avoided completely if the offender had taken this simple precaution.

The cases have been arranged according to offense for ease of access. Feel free to reproduce and use them as you like in your ethics training program.

The Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure is intended to sensitize Federal employees to the reach and impact of Federal ethics statutes and regulations. It is best used to supplement personal verification of those statutes and regulations. It should not be interpreted as a binding or authoritative presentation of the law.