An internal investigation found widespread mishandling of FBI evidence in every region of the country, the New York Times reports.
The highly critical report found that the FBI’s evidence collection and retention system is beset by errors, either through mishandling, mislabeling or losing evidence.
The report also found that the FBI was storing more drugs and weapons and less money and valuables than indicated.
The errors were serious enough for the FBI to alert prosecutors on Friday that some of the errors may need to be disclosed. Even minor record-keeping discrepancies can prompt evidence to be tossed out of court.
“A majority of the errors identified were due in large part to human error, attributable to a lack of training and program management oversight,” auditors wrote in the report, which was obtained by The New York Times.