GSA watchdog asks for criminal probe of federal agency's spending, sources say

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GSA executives worried about image of lavish conferences

Officials brace for grilling over scandal

WASHINGTON – The federal General Services Administration, under fire for lavish spending on a 2010 Las Vegas-area conference, could become the focus of a criminal probe.

The agency's Inspector General's Office has asked the Justice Department to probe the scandal, congressional sources confirmed to Fox News.

The request specifically targets a GSA official already on leave for his role in lavish agency spending, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed congressional committee official. The source said it isn't known whether the request is directly connected to the activities of the GSA executive, Jeffrey Neely, in the agency's $823,000 spending spree for the 2010 conference.

A senior executive at the GSA, Neely was largely responsible for the Las Vegas conference.

An internal government memo released Friday shows GSA officials had been aware for months of a spending problem at the agency.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment when Fox News asked about the referral.