Inspector General Christopher W. Dentel
Mr. Dentel has worked for the Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Inspector General (OIG) since 2002. Initially, he was Counsel to the Inspector General with special responsibilities over all investigations.
As Inspector General, Mr. Dentel oversees an office whose mission is to detect and deter fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct in CPSC programs and personnel, and to promote economy and efficiency in agency operations. He was a charter member of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and has served this interagency oversight entity in a number of capacities. He currently serves on the Legislation Committee and as an adjunct instructor for the CIGIE Training Institute.
Before joining the OIG, Mr. Dentel served on active duty in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1993 to 2001. From 1999 to 2001 he served at the Contract Law Directorate for the Air Force. There he advised senior officers responsible for the procurement of millions of dollars of goods and services regarding all aspects of the contracting process, including: fraud prevention, labor law, strategy, source selection, claims, terminations, ratifications, and disputes. He defended the United States in various forums including before the General Accountability Office, Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and in agency-level protests. His duties included advising U.S. Attorneys on fraud actions and serving as the Air Force-wide point of contact for mistakes-in-bid.
From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Dentel served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the United States Air Force at Little Rock and Wright-Patterson Air Force Bases, and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio's, United States Attorney's Office. He prosecuted criminal trials, both trials by courts-martial and trials in Federal Magistrate's Court. He represented the US before administrative boards and agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Labor Relations Authority, and Merit System Protection Board. He also advised Inspector General, Security Forces, and Office of Special Investigations personnel on evidentiary, investigative, and jurisdictional issues.
He received his commission through the Air Force ROTC program in 1990. He became an Air Force Judge Advocate through the Educational Delay Program. Mr. Dentel continues to serve as a Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve.
He is active in his local community, a Den Leader in his son’s Cub Scout Troop, and chairs the Gaithersburg Library Advisory Committee.
Mr. Dentel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science, cum laude, from Eastern Michigan University and a Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School. He is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Michigan and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Report an act you believe to be wasteful or fraudulent
There are three ways to report fraud, abuse, or mismanagement to CPSC’s OIG:
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By phone - 301.504.7906
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By mail. Write to:
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Office of Inspector General
Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East-West Highway
Room 702
Bethesda, MD 20814
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Fraud can also be reported using the General Accounting Office's Fraudnet website.