Federal workers admit watching porn at work out of boredom

Some federal workers have been caught surfing office computers for X-rated websites and then told investigators they did so because they were bored and did not have enough work to do.

The Washington Times says it learned of several porn-craving government employees after requesting investigative records under the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the records, one Federal Communications Commission worker was spending up to eight hours each week viewing online porn in the office. He admitted to investigators that he perused the smut “out of boredom.”

An FCC spokesman declined to tell the Times what action the agency took after the FCC inspector general conducted an investigation. The spokesman said only that the agency disciplines employees based on Office of Personnel Management guidelines.

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The records also show that a Treasury Department worker viewed more than 13,000 pornographic images at work during a six-week span.

“He stated he is aware it is against government rules and regulations, but he often does not have enough work do and has free time,” investigators said, referring to the Treasury worker.

The Times said investigative memos turned up similar cases at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Commerce Department and the General Services Administration. The memos show the cases rarely lead to criminal prosecutions for time and attendance fraud.

At the GSA, investigators nabbed an employee who surfed the web two hours a day looking at pornography and dating sites. The agency's inspector general reported that the employee “sometimes became bored during these long hours at the computer and would often use the computer for personal uses to pass the time.”

“This is apparently something that’s a pervasive problem throughout several federal agencies,” Pete Seep,  executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union, told MyFox DC, adding that it could “mean millions of dollars of wasted money.”