A former official of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has come under scrutiny for allegedly working remotely from Mexico City while misleading his colleagues into believing he was based in Chicago.
Malcolm Alexander-Neal, who held a six-figure government position, reportedly worked less than half the required hours, according to records obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) has demanded that Alexander-Neal, who served as a CFTC risk analyst, return "every dollar he stole" from taxpayers. Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, described the situation as a "textbook case of government waste, fraud and abuse."
Alexander-Neal, who also led the National Treasury Employees Union, was found to have dedicated a mere 7 percent of his work emails to CFTC matters, with the majority focusing on union activities, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon.
Alexander-Neal's tenure with the CFTC spanned from March 2022 to February 2025, during which he falsely claimed residency in Chicago while actually residing in Mexico City. He was placed on administrative leave in February and officially departed from the agency in July. During a period from March 2024 to December 2024, he logged only 542 hours of work, significantly less than the expected 1,200 hours. According to a government salary database, Alexander-Neal received $200,000 in salary and benefits in 2023.
The telework arrangement that allowed Alexander-Neal to operate remotely was facilitated by policies implemented during the Biden administration, which permitted federal employees to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump had initially authorized remote work in March 2020 but sought to reverse the policy towards the end of his term. However, the Biden administration maintained the telework policy, a decision that has drawn criticism from Republicans who argue it was influenced by federal employee unions.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in a January 2025 report, accused the Biden-Harris Administration of collaborating with federal labor unions to maintain high levels of telework, thereby undermining the incoming Trump Administration's ability to manage its workforce effectively.
The CFTC, responsible for regulating futures, options, and commodities, became aware of Alexander-Neal's activities through an autobiography he published. It was discovered that he had set up a Virtual Private Network from his Mexico City residence, contravening CFTC policy.
Furthermore, the CFTC inspector general found that Alexander-Neal had "teleworked" from 11 different countries, including Lebanon, Chile, and the Dominican Republic.
Initially, Alexander-Neal misled investigators about his living situation before eventually admitting to residing and working outside the United States. He has since established an accounting firm named Mac Neal. Despite attempts to reach him, Alexander-Neal did not respond to requests for comment.
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