Employee scams Defense Department out of $1.4 million in bogus overtime pay

A Defense Department employee in Virginia managed to scam the government out of $1.4 million in overtime pay, eluding detection for more than 17 years while claiming to have worked a near-impossible 90 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. The fraud has sent government agencies scrambling to try to figure out how she did it — though they clammed up Thursday when The Washington Times asked why they missed the scheme for so long and whether they’ve been able to plug the holes. Michelle M. Holt pleaded guilty Wednesday to computer fraud and theft of government property. She faces up to 15 years in prison, though prosecutors said she’s likely to get less and her lawyer said she has been fully cooperating with investigators to explain how she did it...MORE