The Justice Department inaccurately reported its terrorism-related statistics in the past three years, according to an Inspector General report released Thursday.
The department reported that 512 people were charged with terrorism-related crimes in the six years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s new report found that 544 were really charged in the six-year period.
It also found that 324 people were convicted or pleaded guilty to terrorism-related crimes, while the department reported the number was 319. In addition, the department’s National Security Division reported that 59 cases ended favorably to the government in 2009. The Inspector General found that number was actually 57.
“Although it appears that the statistics were not significantly overstated or understated, the inaccurate reporting indicates a need for the NSD to strengthen further its application of controls for gathering, verifying, and reporting its terrorism-related statistics,” Horowitz wrote in the report.
Dean Boyd, a department spokesman, told Bloomberg that the department will work to implement the IG’s recommendations to prevent future issues.
“The audit made no finding that any of the discrepancies were intentional,” Boyd told Bloomberg.
