Ex-Forest Service Officer Busted for Falsifying Time Card
A former law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service pleaded guilty to falsifying his time and attendance records and bilking the federal government out of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors say Nathan Snead was at his home in Thompson Falls, Montana, some of the time he claimed to be working, both on his regular shift and for overtime hours.
Snead was required to work 40 hours of regular time per week and was also compensated with premium pay for irregular and unscheduled overtime duty. In 2023, Snead’s overtime rate was 15 percent, meaning he was required to justify an additional 5-7 hours per week to maintain that percentage.
Court records show that Snead documented his regular and overtime hours, signing the following certification: “I certify that the above information on hours worked and leave used is true and accurate.”
However, someone tipped the agency that Snead was not actually on the job some of the time. Agents installed a GPS tracker on his government-issued patrol vehicle and found that the vehicle was parked at Snead’s house during hours he claimed to be working.
In addition, statistics show that Snead’s productivity from 2021 to 2023, measured via incident reports and the issuance of violation notices, were much lower than similar LEOs.
Snead pleaded guilty to theft of government money. Prosecutors estimate the false time claims cost the government $18,645.
When sentenced in August, he faces ten years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Forest Service conducted the investigation.