FOX News is reportingthat John Sepulveda has resigned his post as an assistant secretary for human resources and administration after theVeterans Affairs Office of Inspector General revealed that under his watch, there were a pair of feel-good conferences in Central Florida held to the tune of $6 million.
The conferences for the department's human resources employees included a litany of expenses covering everything from whimsical videos to karaoke to hors d'oeuvres, including artisan cheese displays, Fox News reported.
One of those expenses, a video parody of the movie "Patton" in which an actor pep-talked the audience about HR "mission imperatives" in the style of the original movie's opening scene, had already drawn lawmakers' attention earlier this year when the nearly $50,000 expense first surfaced.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said the report showcased "lack of leadership."
"It is blatantly clear that VA does not know how much it spends on conferences," he said. "This sort of funny-money accounting must stop, and will no longer be tolerated, especially in today's tight fiscal climate."
The VA is announcing a series of departmental changes in response to the investigation.
On the positive side, this was an economic stimulus for Orlando.
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Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
