(Ken Silva, Headline USA) A newly released inspector general’s report shows that a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission analyst teleworked from at least 10 different countries during the COVID era, when the Biden administration allowed bureaucrats to work remotely.
The CFTC analyst, Malcolm Alexander-Neal, also filed to run for U.S. president last year—a violation of the Hatch Act, which restricts federal workers from participating in partisan political activities.
According to the CFTC inspector general, Alexander-Neal certified that his residence was near his office in Chicago. However, that “residence” turned out to be a mailbox in a UPS store.
Instead, Alexander-Neal was mostly in Mexico, using a VPN to make it seem like he was working in America. The analyst reportedly spent 90% of his time in Mexico, while also working stints in Argentina, Australia, Bali, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Lebanon and “possibly New Zealand.”
His fraud was only caught because he talked about it last October in his self-published book, Verses of Life: Through Chapters of Love.
🚨NEW: An inspector general has found that a federal bureaucrat teleworked from 10 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, including Mexico and Lebanon.
Amazingly, he was only caught because he revealed the info in a self-published book last October.
You're gonna want to read the full story. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/eDwSrY32AH— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) August 14, 2025
“In the initial version of his book, Mr. Alexander-Neal described his relocation from the United States to Mexico in 2022 and how he used a commercial virtual private network (VPN) to ‘work and live in Mexico’ while employed by the CFTC. His account details specific boroughs, neighborhoods, and streets in Mexico City where he resided,” the inspector general’s report says.
When his co-workers confronted him about the telework last year, Alexander-Neal edited his Kindle book to take out the damning info. But he later admitted to his telework when pressed by the inspector general.
“Alexander-Neal admitted in his responses that he resided in Mexico City between March 2022 and February 2025, and was present in Mexico about 90% of the time during that period. In addition, Mr. Alexander-Neal admitted that he teleworked with government-furnished devices from the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Bali, Chile, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, and ‘possibly New Zealand,’” the inspector general’s report says.
The inspector general further found that he violated the Hatch Act by declaring his candidacy for president last year.
“In his signed form, Mr. Alexander-Neal stated his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election under the Taxpayers Party,” the inspector general’s report says. “The Hatch Act generally permits federal employees to actively participate in partisan political management and partisan political campaigns. However, covered employees are prohibited from being candidates in a partisan election.”
To top it off, Alexander-Neal barely worked while abroad. For instance, he only worked a total of 575 of the 1,419 hours of official time he certified during one 148-workday period. The inspector general found that he “fraudulently certified” his timesheet and was paid for 1,419 hours during this period.
In a Wednesday letter to the CFTC, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, raised grave concerns about Alexander-Neal’s activity. Grassley expressed particular concerns about his travels to Lebanon, which is designated by the State Department as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country.
“Why and when did Mr. Alexander-Neal travel to Lebanon? How long and where did he reside and travel while there? Did Mr. Alexander-Neal travel to Lebanon to meet any particular individuals or groups? Explain, in detail, what Mr. Alexander-Neal did while in Lebanon and provide records,” Grassley wrote in his letter.
“Has there been any investigations into Mr. Alexander-Neal’s supervisors’ failure to detect his world tour, unacceptable level of work effort, and violation of the administrative leave agreement? If yes, provide all records. If not, why not?” the senator added, demanding answers by Aug. 27.
Alexander-Neal, who was placed on administrative leave last December, could not be reached for comment. While on administrative leave, he was supposed to remain within an hour of Chicago. But the report further found that he was still in Mexico for much of early 2025.
The Trump administration ordered federal bureaucrats back to their offices earlier this year.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
