After reviewing the record, the appearance is that the three arrested NRC employees
were at first protected by their NRC management, then placed on administrative leave with pay, and later allowed to either
resign or retire gracefully from their positions at The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region 4 in Arlington, Texas.
NRC employees who were arrested by The FBI and U.S. Secret Service Task Force during
the investigation were merely placed on administrative leave, enjoying full salary, and at a much later time were allowed
to resign or retire. Did you notice I did not use the word "former" employees?
This was not an oversight. One of the employees who "worked out a deal",
JoeTapia, a branch chief in the regions division of reactor projects, was later re-hired by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Region 4, in Arlington, Texas. Last review showed him still employed there. He initially was allowed to retire
from the NRC and the NRC must have had second thoughts about the appropriateness or even legality of their decision about
allowing him to gracefully retire, with full financial benefits, after what he and his co-conspirators did. His retirement
was subsequently revoked and they allowed him to rejoin their ranks.
The other two, an NRC region 4 Branch Chief and his employee, former NRC
government contractor turned NRC employee computer specialist, and also the brother of one of these two NRC employees, negotiated
a "pretrial diversion" with authorities, an alternative to prosecution that allows first-time offenders to work out a deal
and avoid jail time and eventually have the charges dismissed and their records expunged.
What does this mean? The NRC paid these guys as long as they could, did not prosecute
them for crimes they committed, and the authorities "slapped the back of their hands", and will soon erase all record of their
criminal activity.
Conclusion: The NRC appears to be very generous, accommodating and forgiving to
their crooks, don't they? They allowed them to carry on their fellony criminal enterprise within the NRC offices, Region 4
even after allegations of their conduct had been reported to Region 4 senior management. They paid them their salary after
being told by the FBI and Secret Service that these men perpetrated criminal activity on the NRC's government office
site, during office hours and "on the
clock". Government property was reported to have been recovered
from the homes of some of these people. Unaccounted for equipment allegedly sold. Please note that I did not say
"stolen property" even though it is my opinion and belief that it was. The NRC also forgave and rehired Joe Tapia, after they
had yanked his pension. The NRC did not want to see one of their own go without a way to feed his family, unlike the way they
had treated me and didn't care how I fed mine.
I did nothing wrong, I did something right and should have been protected from
disclosure, retaliation and firing. But you see, there is a distinction here. The crooks are either former or
present NRC employees. I, Ron Bath, however, was a contractor working for the NRC, Region 4. I had no administrative
leave, no pay and was never given a second chance like Joe Tapia. I was fired under the pretense of the lie that the
action was a lay-off instead of the truth which was that my firing was in retaliation for getting the bad guys busted, removed
from the NRC to do no further harm to government or public safety.
Please ask yourself the question: Why has the US Nuclear Regulatory
Commission leadership like Commissioner Nils Diaz and his team of senior management at NRC region 4 offices in Arlington,
Texas been so very lenient and generous with criminal employees arrested for wrong doing?
And also Ask: Why were these same NRC officials so negligent and
vindictive with me, Ron Bath, an honest government contractor employee that had the courage and honesty to report criminal
activity important enough for the FBI, US Secret Service and Office of The Inspector General agents to make arrests?
I know the answer and I'm sure that it is apparent to you the reader as well.
Answer: Negligence... Embarrassment... Bad Publicity... Damage
Control... Retaliation
It is to be noted that these same NRC officials that sit in judgment of me, also
sit in judgment of the operators and employees of nuclear power plants, nuclear medical facilities and their worker employees
all around our nation.
Every year they extract monetary penalties in the millions of dollars from those
that, in their judgment are negligent.
It looks like the pot calling the kettle black doesn't it?
The NRC has denied my claim for compensation, yet has awarded thousands of dollars
to "figure head" employees that were allegedly responsible for turning in the bad guys. A verification of dates on allegations
lodged with the OIG and Past Regional Administrator for NRC Region 4 will prove that this is not so, at least show they weren't
the first.
The senior official at NRC, Region 4 whose negligence allowed my confidential
allegation information to be distributed to others at the office, including those accused of criminal actions, and enabling
one of them, my direct supervisor, to fire me in retaliation, received an award.
Shortly after the loss of my job he was awarded many thousands of dollars and described
as "a man of vision". This really hurt me when I read of it. Vision is only a good thing if you don't look the other
way.
In closing, I offer you this thought... Lady Justice is supposed to be
blind, Trusted Government Officials are not!
Question of the Day?
Why did senior management, after being informed of illegal and criminal activity,
allow those accused to keep working as though nothing had happened?
Months after the NRC's region 4 senior managements initially being informed of
criminal acts, it took the raid on the NRC's region 4 offices in Arlington, Texas to get the perpetrators of those acts
removed from the workplace.
Isn't it odd that the senior management knew of this situation, yet took no action
to investigate these allegations, and, by all appearances "look the other way"? If you were "a man of vision" shouldn't
you have seen what was going on and have stopped it?
It would be interesting to be able to view a listing of the clients of those arrested
to see the names of their customers, those that bought their illegal counterfeit products. Wouldn't it be interesting
to see such a list and compare it to the roster of NRC employees?
