US Investigations Services, the background screener and security firm that vetted rogue contractor Edward Snowden for government work, has engaged crisis PR counsel as it faces legal and image fallout.
The Falls Church, Va.-based company, which is the federal government's top contractor for employee background checks and conducted a check in 2007 on Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, is working with Sard Verbinnen & Co. Sard has advised parent company Providence Equity Partners in the past. Managing director Brandy Bergman is speaking for USIS.
USIS was dealt another blow Oct. 30 when the U.S. Dept. of Justice said it joined a two-year-old whistleblower lawsuit against USIS alleging it failed to execute quality control reviews on its background checks.
“We will not tolerate shortcuts taken by companies that we have entrusted with vetting individuals to be given access to our country’s sensitive and secret information,” said Assistant Attorney General Stuart Delery.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that USIS rushed background checks for security clearances to meet quotas. Former company officials told the paper that CEO Bill Mixon demanded employees "do what it takes" to finish checks, "even if they aren't thoroughly vetted."
Bergman told the Journal that USIS takes the allegations seriously: "Since they were first brought to our attention over one year ago, we have acted decisively to ensure the quality of our work and adherence to [government] requirements."
USIS earned $253M in federal work last year.
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