This picture taken 26 December 2011 shows the Pentagon building in Washington, DC.  The Pentagon, which is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense (DOD), is the world's largest office building by floor area, with about 6,500,000 sq ft (600,000 m2), of which 3,700,000 sq ft (340,000 m2) are used as offices.  Approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel work in the Pentagon. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STAFF/AFP/Getty Images)
Workers used Pentagon credit cards for escorts, gambling
01:20 - Source: CNN
Washington CNN  — 

Some Pentagon employees, apparently attempting to hide personal spending on gambling and adult services, used their government-issued credit cards to pay for the salacious expenses, according to a Department of Defense official.

In what amounts to more of an embarrassment than a wide-spread problem, the workers racked up nearly a million dollars in gambling charges and spent $96,576 at “adult entertainment establishments.” The findings are in an Inspector General’s report that has not yet been made public.

“Clearly the behavior displayed by these individuals neither comports with our values nor represents the good service of the vast majority of or service members or DOD Civilians,” the official said.

“While any misuse of the card is taken seriously, the amount of this misuse is extremely small given the size and scope of the Department of Defense travel charge card program.”

The official says disciplinary action has already been taken in the majority of the cases.

The cards are meant to be used for travel-related expense.

The official says taxpayer money was not used to pay for any of the misuse, since they were reimbursed by the employees.