Feds say Mich. lawyer fudged security interviews
Associated Press
5:39 p.m. CDT, August 26, 2009
DETROIT - A grand jury has indicted a former federal investigator accused of making phony reports to the government about background checks for people seeking security clearances.
Russell Vail, a 68-year-old lawyer from Oakland County, was a contract employee for the Department of Homeland Security. He was supposed to interview people to help the government in hiring and security decisions.
But the indictment says he submitted reports with summaries of interviews that he didn't actually conduct, from November through January. Vail was arraigned Wednesday in federal court in Flint. Messages seeking comment were left at his home and office.
Two weeks ago, a former CIA investigator, Kerry Gerdes, pleaded guilty to a similar charge.
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