Former Department of Energy Employee Pleads Guilty

A former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) employee who falsified his performance evaluation to justify an annual performance award to which he was not entitled pleaded guilty today to one count of making false statements, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division.

According to court documents, Amandeus Watkins, 32, was employed by DOE from November 2006 to August 2008 as the resource manager in the Office of Public Affairs. In this position, Watkins was responsible for overseeing the process through which many public affairs employees received annual performance awards.

Watkins admitted that in March 2008 he authored and submitted to DOE a performance evaluation for himself that falsely indicated he had earned the highest possible performance rating from his former supervisor in order to justify an annual performance award he had improperly arranged to receive in December 2007. According to court documents, no DOE employee, including his former supervisor, approved an annual performance award for Watkins.

The charge to which Watkins pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for July 16, 2009.