Passenger Trains > Another Amtrak Chicago Senior Manager Fired - Going to Prison!

Amtrak worker steered $30K from Polar Express ride to wife’s business

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/amtrak-worker-steered-30k-from-polar-express-ride-to-wifes-business/

From the Article: Benjamin Sheets, 50, of Downers Grove is now the former head of Amtrak transportation at Union Station. He also faces a year or more in prison after pleading guilty in federal court Thursday to making false statements to the government. He admitted steering $30,000 in business from The Polar Express Train Ride event to his wife’s suburban photo company.

A search of Ben Sheets LinkedIn information on the right side of the page and the other "also searched for" people affiliated with him.

Q: What do 50% of these managers have in common?
A: 3 of the 6 six managers have been caught up in IG investigations and terminated!

Q: How long before the others are found out in the future?
A: Only time will tell

Today I do my happy dance knowing he is going to the pokey!

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PC1974 Wrote:
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> Today I do my happy dance knowing he is going to the pokey!

Perhaps you can post it and win video of the day? :-)

Chicago:so what else is new? When in Rome.............

One of those six managers was also re-hired into middle management after being forced to step down following a run in with the IG.

Well done photoshop work on Benjamin Sheets...case closed!

Didn't a former Amtrak police chief steer business to her boyfriend's company? Forgot to disclose a relationship, etc.

She was fired on day 1 or 2 of Wick's administration, and immediately picked up for a senior job in a trade association, I believe.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Didn't a former Amtrak police chief steer business
> to her boyfriend's company? Forgot to disclose a
> relationship, etc.
>
> She was fired on day 1 or 2 of Wick's
> administration, and immediately picked up for a
> senior job in a trade association, I believe.

=================================================

Polly Hanson quit Amtrak just under a year ago after being put on leave pending investigation.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,4152022

Now Director of Security and Emergency Management at American Public Transportation Association

Ben Sheets's quote on LinkedIn:

"Benjamin Sheets - Summary: To finish my career with a railroad that
challenges my intellectual and people skills.

FAIL



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/17 23:59 by GenePoon.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Didn't a former Amtrak police chief steer
> business
> > to her boyfriend's company? Forgot to disclose
> a
> > relationship, etc.
> >
> > She was fired on day 1 or 2 of Wick's
> > administration, and immediately picked up for a
> > senior job in a trade association, I believe.
>
> =================================================
>
> Polly Hanson quit Amtrak just under a year ago
> after being put on leave pending investigation.
>
> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,
> 4152022
>
> Now Director of Security and Emergency Management
> at American Public Transportation Association

Typical of the Transit industry. Hire-a-hack.

GenePoon Wrote:
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Polly Hanson quit Amtrak just under a year ago after being put on leave pending investigation.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4152022

Now Director of Security and Emergency Management at American Public Transportation Association

It reminds me of that game we used to play at the county fair called "Whack-A-Mole." You whack 'em here and they pop up over there. I've lost count of the number of examples of this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/17 18:57 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Beb Sheets's quote on LinkedIn:
>
> "Benjamin Sheets - Summary: To finish my career
> with a railroad that
> challenges my intellectual and people skills.
>
> FAIL

"Make it to retirement" complacency so common in large organizations today. He seems like a low hanging fruit, so there are many more (Amtrak and elsewhere) who haven't been caught, and many of them are already untouchable (retired already).

Worse thing to get in trouble with, is the Feds, still doesn't seem morale'll improve in Chicago just because one guy got canned!

So what was this clown's pedigree that qualified him for the
position of Chicago Senior Manager ?

Might have been his past history at the BNSF and his fantastic display of "people skills" there...

Posted from Android

One swamp replaced with another, the beat goes on!

Ben "Pumpernickle" Sheets got his nickname when he got run out of Northern California by BNSF showing his tact and talent that he continued to develop at Amtrak...

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-caed-1_12-cv-00032/pdf/USCOURTS-caed-1_12-cv-00032-1.pdf

Quote: "So what was this clown's pedigree that qualified him for the position of Chicago Senior Manager?"

He has been working in a White Collar Crime organization . The family surrounds itsself with soldiers that will do their bidding.. Things like, union contract violations, encouraging rules violations to improve OTP, advancing trains for initial terminal that are not mechanically ready, etc.. These individuals get promotions and advancement opportunities in the family. Ben is a classic example, really moved up the ladder until he became a liability.. Several of those promoted end of the cross hair's of the IG.

And it's a true posting on this thread that one of those fired from mgt after a IG investigation just got a mid level managers job down south. That person, Gary Israelson, was also responsible for rehiring a former company officer who left the company after making threats to a conductor. And it was the second time he was rehired, the first time he left as a company officer was after twisting a female conductor's arm that caused injury forcing Amtrak to settle a law suit $$$. That person, Tom Graziosi, has also been convicted burglary and larceny...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/17 11:56 by PC1974.

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Anyone who has had the misfortune to work for Amtrak knows the hubris that infects the upper management levels.
Here it is clear for even the most rabid Amtrak kool-aid drinkers to see the incompetence in even the most basic corporate duty (hiring).

After he has time to contemplate his potential roommates in Club Fed perhaps pumpernickel will flip on crooks higher up in the food chain.

As I have stated in other posts Amtrak is its own worst enemy when it comes to crying poor and asking for more money.

Did Ben ever work in a craft position or was he a BNSF 90 day wonder?
I assume he came over to Amtrak in a management position?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/17 10:31 by Englewood.

This is everywhere today. In my company, I cannot believe the incompetent clowns in their management positions. They know nothing about what they manage.

bluesboyst Wrote:
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> This is everywhere today. In my company, I cannot
> believe the incompetent clowns in their management
> positions. They know nothing about what they
> manage.

What is worse is many of them know not much about anything else either and suffer from a singular lack of common sense. It is all about doing exactly what is necessary to climb the corporate ladder, and often those acts have nothing to do with running an efficient operation.

I call out bad behavior when I see it, and this guy is bad behavior.

But the piling-on that's going on in describing this as universal is a little much, I think. There are a lot of good managers at Amtrak, just as there are everywhere. I understand that everyone's looking at this person and thinking he's indicative of all management, but I don't think he is.

Just my opinion.