A former Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security, Sean M. Nelson, was sentenced last week, to two years of federal probation after pleading guilty to Theft of Government Property in October 2022.
Nelson, of Mesa, was also ordered to pay $133,999 in restitution to the Department of Homeland Security and agreed to resign from the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to the Department of Justice, between November 2019 and October 2021, Nelson, then a Special Agent with HSI, worked without permission or authorization for several private companies while on duty for HSI, and used his government owned vehicle (GOV) for such unauthorized outside work. Nelson drove the GOV, that he agreed to use only for HSI duty purposes, while working for Amazon, Uber, and Lyft during time periods he was supposed to be working for HSI.
Nelson’s actions in working for these companies while on duty for HSI resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in losses to the government.