Chief of the Amtrak Police Department under investigation for fraud, ethical violations

WASHINGTON - The Chief of the Amtrak Police Department is under investigation for fraud and ethical violations.

Affidavits filed in federal court say the Office of the Inspector General is investigating whether Polly Hanson hid her relationship with a man who won a lucrative consulting contract.

The investigation began in December of 2015 with an allegation Chief Hanson was romantically involved and owned property with a man who won a contract to provide counter terrorism training to Amtrak's 500 police officers. An affidavit filed in federal court claims Hanson failed to disclose her true relationship with Kerry Thomas as required by law and may have violated Amtrak's ethical policies.

The inspector general wants to see all of Hanson's financial records but instead of turning them over she is fighting it in federal court. The allegations against Polly Hanson --who has been chief of the Amtrak police department since December of 2012--are laid out in detail in documents and affidavits filed in a federal petition against the inspector general.

According to affidavits filed in the case investigators want to see the chiefs banking records dating back to 2006 in hopes of learning more about her relationship with Kerry Thomas, a man who won a million dollar contract as senior director of ABS consulting in Arlington.

The documents say investigators have evidence chief Hanson has described Thomas as her "boyfriend" and the two own a condominium together in this building in Dewey beach, Delaware. The affidavits say chief Hanson was directly involved in the process of awarding the contract to train her officers but did not directly suggest Thomas's firm as a possible bidder. In April of 2014 --after others approved awarding it to Thomas's firm--Hanson sent an email to Amtrak's chief financial officer saying "I just learned I know the bidder at ABS consulting."

The affidavit also says Hanson told investigators she later alerted officials at Amtrak that she had a "close personal relationship" with Thomas but as investigators allege in the affidavit she did not disclose she had known Thomas for 10 years and was in a personal and financial relationship with him.

Now investigators want to see all of Hanson's financial records "in order to determine whether there was fraud involved." A subpoena was issued but chief Hanson is now fighting it claiming four of the accounts are held jointly with her adult son and are not relevant to the investigation. A claim countered by investigators who want to know the extent of the relationship (personal and financial) with Kerry Thomas.

The judge in the case has denied the chief's petition and has ruled the investigators can access all of her bank accounts.

FOX 5 reached out to the Chief, Amtrak and the inspector general and in turn we received this statement from the chief's attorney it reads in full. "Miss Hanson understands the OIG's responsibility to investigate anonymous complaints. She is aware of the allegations, is cooperating fully with the OIG, and is anxious to see the examination concluded," said Sara Kropf, an attorney.