Williams v. Social Security Administration

FRIEDMAN, Circuit Judge.

The petitioner Stephen E. Williams challenges the Merit Systems Protection Board (“Board”)’s affirmance of the Social Security Administration (“Social Security”)’s removal of Williams for his participation in an income tax fraud sponsored by another Social Security employee, Joel Edwards. The fraud involved claiming as dependents on federal tax returns children who were not the taxpayers’; the children’s Social Security numbers were shown on the returns.

Williams contends that Social Security did not show a nexus between his misconduct and the efficiency of the service.…