Some of Paul’s career highlights include:
- Paul collaborated with a university internal audit department to investigate two administrative employees who used university Purchase Cards to make personal purchases. The combined investigative efforts identified over 4,800 personal purchases which lead to over 2,500 fraudulent transactions through the university accounting system. The two employees diverted over $489,000 for personal purchases from NSF, private, and state grants. These highly publicized investigations resulted in felony guilty pleas from a university accountant in federal court and a program administrator in state court. Both were sentenced to serve in prison and ordered to pay restitution. Paul worked with the internal audit department to strengthen Purchase Card internal controls, which are now recognized as a community best practice.
- Paul completed related investigations involving multiple individuals who received false consulting payments, false salary payments, and duplicate travel reimbursements that were charged to science education grants awarded to universities and school districts. The individuals failed to disclose outside activities and conflicts to their institutions. One researcher altered and fabricated student test scores that were submitted to grant officials as research results. The investigations required obtaining evidence throughout the research enterprise from over 30 different institutions and resulted in four individuals pleading guilty in federal court. A former school superintendent was sentenced to prison, a former education center director was sentenced to home confinement, and two former professors were ordered to serve probation. Total court ordered restitution exceeded $350,000 and over $3,800,000 was administratively returned to funding agencies and school districts.
- While on detail to the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG) after the 9/11 attacks, Paul served as the investigative liaison between the FBI Anthrax Investigation and the DOD-OIG evaluation team that inspected policies, procedures, and security at DOD Biological and Chemical Laboratories. The DOD-OIG evaluation team received the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence for identifying vulnerabilities and recommending systemic changes to laboratories conducting biological and chemical research.
- As the NSF-OIG Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Paul managed all investigative resources and served as a member of NSF’s Audit Coordination Committee, working with senior NSF officials on a variety of fiscal and management issues, including the Chief Financial Officer Audits. Paul received the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence for leading multi-agency investigations related to federal grants and contracts for scientific research, and recommending systemic changes to the Small Business Innovation Research Program.