bega

Board of Ethics and Government Accountability

Enforcement

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is an office within the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (BEGA) that investigates allegations of ethical misconduct concerning District government employees and officials. It has authority over the District government’s workforce, including ethics oversight of the Mayor Council and Advisor Neighborhood Commissions. Through its Director, the Office serves as the District’s ethics prosecutor and is empowered to bring enforcement proceedings before the five member Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (the "Board") which, in turn, can levy civil penalties including substantial monetary fines–up to $5,000 per violation, or three times the amount of any unlawful gift or contribution. The Office of Open Government (OOG) is an office with BEGA that investigates and enforces Open Meeting Act violations. All Orders handed down by the Board and civil penalties are enforceable in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.