F
OCUS
WATCHDOG OF THE SUBWAY As Inspector-General of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Brother John Pritchard investigates suspected frauds, white collar crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and the influence of organized crime in the management and operation of the nation's largest mass transit system. It is a job that requires all of the expertise he gained during his career with the FBI. Brother John S. Pritchard III, a former FBI supervisor, is serving a five-year term as Inspector General of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York. The law enforcement organization he heads has 90 persons including former city police officers, state and federal agents, as well as lawyers who were former assistant district attorneys. His staff also includes auditors and analysts. He is responsible for investigating suspected frauds, white collar crime, alleged abuse, including drug and alcohol abuse, and possible infiltratiun of Organized Crime members and associates in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's construction process. He is also concerned with safeguarding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's multi-billion dollar Capital Program, to make sure the contract process is free of collusion, bribery or other crimes. Another facet of his job is to do management audits of various MTA agencies, to make sure they are operating effectively and safely. He reports directly to New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo, and the New York State Legislature. The Sphinx/Winter 1989
John S. Pritchard, III, Inspector General of New York's transit system. Pritchard, 46, (as of April 24, 1989) was appointed to his post by Governor Cuomo, and the New York State Senate on March 1, 1988. He is a June, 1976 graduate of Fordham University and began his career in 1965 as a New York City Police Officer. He became a Detective in 1968, and joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 1976. He rose to be a Supervisory Special Agent, during which time, he was involved in the supervision of criminal undercover operations nationwide and later the supervision of the FBI/New York City Police Department Joint Organized Crime Task Force.
In April, 1987, he became Director of the Petroleum, Alcohol and Tobacco Bureau of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. He had overall responsibility for an organization charged with enforcing state excise taxes on petroleum, alcohol and tobacco. As Inspector General, Pritchard's responsibilities include overseeing the staff of one of the largest public authorities in the nation, the MTA, which has 68,000 employees who work on the city's subways, two bus systems, two commuter railroad lines and several toll bridges and tunnels in the New York metropolitan area. Page 17