AFOSI protects the Air Force from losses of money and resources due to fraudulent schemes, diversion, and misuse of Air Force assets. AFOSI, through its Fraud Investigations, returns more money to the Federal Treasury per annum, than it costs to operate the command. Fraud investigations focus on criminal violations of Title 18, United States Code. False Certifications, False Statements, Bribery an
d Graft, are all prosecutable under Title 18. Fraud has a detrimental effect on Air Force mission readiness in a number different ways. Flight Safety can be affected, if aircraft parts of unsatisfactory quality are provided to the USAF. Safety of the general populace can also become jeopardized if buildings are not constructed correctly, or if a contractor or other personnel improperly disposes of hazardous waste in the environment. Fraud can also cause the taxpayer to lose confidence in our ability to manage funds (can anybody forget the $300 hammer), this often results in loss of appropriations due to perceived mismanagement. Fraud also causes us to spend money in places that do not really need it, resulting in money lost to other programs. Fraud cases can affect almost any operation on base. Fraud in its most contemptible form runs the gamut from bribery and corruption of government personnel, to diversion of government property, to environmental crimes committed by contractors. Fraud, like almost any area of law, is a living animal, that changes in scope and definition with almost every court case. This does not mean that the focus of the statutes are changing, only that they are being refined.
