Matthew Hong, a 28-year-old former economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from Middlesex, New Jersey, has entered a guilty plea to charges of making false statements. This plea was made in the U.S. District Court regarding claims he made for sick leave compensation, while allegedly working remotely for a private company during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plea announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., along with Supervisory Official Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Also present were FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan from the FBI Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region, from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG).
Hong's guilty plea centers on one count of false statements, with a potential maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. The sentencing hearing is slated for July 17, where the federal district court judge will make a decision after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors.
Court documents reveal that Hong served as an economist at the BLS within the U.S. Department of Labor from April 2020 until July 2023. His role was in the Current Employment Statistics program, which was part of the National Estimates Branch tasked with producing nonfarm employment estimates. In this capacity, Hong had access to sensitive Principal Federal Economic Indicators (PFEI), like employment and unemployment figures, ahead of their public release, necessitating strict security procedures due to their potential impact on financial markets.
The charges against Hong state that in June 2022, while still employed at BLS and working remotely, he began a full-time position at a global financial institution in New York City. His role there involved analyzing and forecasting macroeconomic scenarios. Between June 2022 and July 2023, Hong allegedly falsely claimed sick leave on 55 occasions, working instead for the financial institution and receiving over $13,300 in sick leave from the BLS through these false entries.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office, along with the DOL-OIG, is conducting the investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami Sibay for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Rakoczy and Maria Vento have also contributed significantly to both the investigation and prosecution efforts.
