Report: U.S. probing Arlington cemetery

WASHINGTON, June 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible contract fraud and other irregularities at Arlington National Cemetery, The Washington Post reported.

Citing sources it said were familiar with the investigation, the newspaper reported Tuesday the investigation into mishandling of remains at the cemetery is a broad criminal inquiry that is also looking at the possibility records were falsified. The sources, who were not named in the report, said a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., has been subpoenaing witnesses and records -- and the FBI and the Army's Criminal Investigation Command have been investigating the scandal at Arlington National Cemetery for at least six months.

A congressional subcommittee was told last week 59 boxes of records about people buried in Arlington National Cemetery turned up in an unsecured Virginia storage locker. The boxes contained the names and social security numbers of the decedents but the risk of anyone's personal identification being compromised is low, officials said.

Congress is already conducting several investigations into the cemetery. The Army inspector general issued a report in 2010 identifying widespread problems at Arlington, including dysfunctional management, information technology contracts that resulted in useless data at a cost of millions, and mishandled remains.

Superintendent John C. Metzler Jr. and Deputy Superintendent Thurman Higginbotham were forced to resign as a result of the scandal.