SONOMA COUNTY AUDITOR ISSUES REPORT ON ALLEN CONSULTING CONTRACTS WITH WATER AGENCY, FINDS USE OF "IDENTICAL LANGUAGE" WITHOUT CITING SOURCE...
May 24, 2010--A report submitted to the Sonoma County Water Agency in 2006 by Michael Allen to complete a contract plagiarized an article written by nationally known workforce housing expert Daniel Hoffman.
Allen was paid $17,000 by the Sonoma County Water Agency for the report that was described by the County Auditor as one using "identical language" without citing a source. The plagiarized report was one of two Allen was required to complete as part of his first contract with the Water Agency in 2006.
He was paid $5,000 for the first report which was a 92- page compilation of articles and other documents written by a variety of people on the subject of workforce housing. The Hoffman article "A Blueprint for Employer-Assisted Housing" was the last one attached to the compilation and included the author's name at the end of the 92nd page. It was orginally published in the 1990's. But when Allen submitted his next report (for $17,000) the author's name had been removed, the title changed to "Sonoma County Water Agency Employee Housing Alternatives", and a few customized lines had been inserted before it was submitted as Allen's own work. Allen submitted invoices showing many hours of work on this document borrowing the Hoffman words and ideas and was paid in full for it.
Curious about what the Sonoma County Water Agency ratepayers got for their money from Allen? Take a look at this website, print out the Hoffman article and the Allen report and compare them side by side. See it here. The site also has a copy of the first contract executed between Allen and the Water Agency. At the back of the contract is the "scope of work" which describes the assignment the Agency gave Allen. Allen was interviewed by the County Auditor's staff. They noted in their report one response to the charge of plagiarism: the contract didn't prohibit Allen from using a professional's words and ideas!
Allen was paid $17,000 by the Sonoma County Water Agency for the report that was described by the County Auditor as one using "identical language" without citing a source. The plagiarized report was one of two Allen was required to complete as part of his first contract with the Water Agency in 2006.
He was paid $5,000 for the first report which was a 92- page compilation of articles and other documents written by a variety of people on the subject of workforce housing. The Hoffman article "A Blueprint for Employer-Assisted Housing" was the last one attached to the compilation and included the author's name at the end of the 92nd page. It was orginally published in the 1990's. But when Allen submitted his next report (for $17,000) the author's name had been removed, the title changed to "Sonoma County Water Agency Employee Housing Alternatives", and a few customized lines had been inserted before it was submitted as Allen's own work. Allen submitted invoices showing many hours of work on this document borrowing the Hoffman words and ideas and was paid in full for it.
Curious about what the Sonoma County Water Agency ratepayers got for their money from Allen? Take a look at this website, print out the Hoffman article and the Allen report and compare them side by side. See it here. The site also has a copy of the first contract executed between Allen and the Water Agency. At the back of the contract is the "scope of work" which describes the assignment the Agency gave Allen. Allen was interviewed by the County Auditor's staff. They noted in their report one response to the charge of plagiarism: the contract didn't prohibit Allen from using a professional's words and ideas!
