Amtrak Supervisor Richard Vogel Admits Overtime Fraud

Richard Vogel, 64, of Edison, New Jersey, admitted today to stealing more than $71,000 from Amtrak by submitting false time records for hours he never worked. The former supervisor billed the railroad for 41 regular hours and 685.75 overtime hours between November 2015 and June 2016 while not present at any Amtrak work sites, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Vogel, who was employed by Amtrak since January 1977 and retired in July 2016, oversaw approximately 35 employees in the Construction Signals unit of the Communications and Signals Department, New York Division. Instead of supervising crews, Vogel was padding his paycheck—falsely logging time while absent from job sites across the busy Northeast Corridor.

He pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court to one count of converting federal government funds to his own use. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $250,000—or twice the value of the loss, whichever is greater.

Amtrak, a federally funded corporation, lost a total of $71,946 due to Vogel’s fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Vogel is required to pay full restitution in that amount. The case was investigated by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Philadelphia office, which first uncovered the irregular time submissions during an internal audit.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 22, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mala Ahuja Harker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division. Authorities emphasized that misuse of public funds, especially within critical transportation infrastructure, will be met with full legal consequences.

Vogel’s fall from a decades-long career at Amtrak to federal fraud charges underscores how even trusted supervisors can exploit systemic oversight gaps. The case serves as a stark reminder that corruption doesn’t always come with flash—sometimes it hides in timecards, quietly draining public resources one falsified hour at a time.