Commerce Inspector General Concludes Investigation into US Census Bureau Hiring Practices

Washington, DC — The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Commerce concluded a months-long investigation requested by Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) to review the hiring process utilized by the Census Bureau's Charlotte Area Census Office (ACO). In January 2019, Kenneth Mabry, a registered sex offender, was hired by the Charlotte ACO in violation of the Census Bureau's existing guidelines. Mr. Mabry's position with the Charlotte ACO was only terminated following his March 2019 arrest for a statutory sexual offense involving a minor:

"While I remain disturbed by the circumstances that required this report, I am glad that the Inspector General worked diligently to uncover what actions led to the hiring of a convicted sex offender in a position of public trust," said Congresswoman Adams. "Furthermore, I am pleased that the Census Bureau has already taken steps to prevent a similar mistake from happening again. I look forward to working with our local Charlotte Area Census Office to ensure the integrity of the 2020 Census and make certain that North Carolina receives a fair count from the decennial Census."

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In June, Rep. Adams spearheaded a bipartisan letter from Members of the North Carolina Congressional delegation to the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Commerce requesting an investigation into the hiring of Kenneth Mabry, a registered sex offender, at the Charlotte regional U.S. Census Bureau Office. Rep. Adams was joined on the letter by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Representatives David Price (NC-04), G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Ted Budd (NC-13).

The full report can be found here