Email Reporting: [email protected]
Hotline: (202) 535-1002
When reporting a government ethics violation to the BEGA, you may remain anonymous if you wish. However, you are encouraged to identify yourself so that we may follow-up on your call, if necessary, and obtain additional information that will aid us in our investigation. If you give your name, your identity will be protected to the maximum extent allowed by law. It is impermissible for a government employer to retaliate against an employee for reporting information to the BEGA. If you believe that by making a report to the BEGA you may be at risk of reprisal, inform the BEGA of this fact.
When reporting information to the BEGA, be as specific and provide as much detail as possible – the who, what, where, when and why of the matter. The more information you provide, the more thorough any BEGA investigation can be. If possible, indicate:
- the specific nature of the wrongful or inappropriate act (give as many details as possible);
- the name of person(s) who committed the act;
- the place where the person works; the date and time the act occurred;
- the place where the act occurred; the reason you believe the act is wrongful or inappropriate;
- and the name, telephone number, and address of any person who can corroborate or supplement your information.
Any relevant information or knowledge you acquire after making a report to the BEGA should also be reported in follow-up calls.
Note: To ensure the privacy and confidentiality of all those involved, for anonymous complaints, you may not be notified about how your information is used. However, you can be sure that we will review your information and do all we can to detect and investigate any alleged ethics violations. The BEGA is committed to facilitating an environment in which employees and members of the public feel unconstrained to report violations of misconduct. Nonetheless, where a complaint is filed in bad faith and without merit against a government employee or official, BEGA may require that complainant to pay reasonable fees for time spent reviewing or investigating the claim, complaint or request for investigation and/or reasonable attorneys fees to the respondent for defending against the allegations.
