Ex-DC official with secret 2nd job is referred for investigation in Northern Virginia

A now-former D.C. official who resigned after authorities found that she secretly worked a second six-figure job has now left her role as an elected official in Northern Virginia as well and is the focus of a criminal investigation.

Caroline Lian was fined $25,000 in D.C. and resigned as the deputy director of District’s Department of Buildings, as News4 reported on Wednesday.

Lian resigned from the Falls Church City Council on Thursday, and city officials relayed information to the commonwealth’s attorney for investigation, a city spokeswoman told News4.

The Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney tells News4 her office is working with local law enforcement to investigate the matter.

Falls Church officials reviewed Lian’s most recent annual financial disclosure.

“Upon review, the City discovered that the former council member listed only Freddie Mac as her employer and did not disclose her employment relationship with the District of Columbia,” the Falls Church spokeswoman said in a statement.

Lian was the second-highest-ranking official in D.C.’s Department of Buildings and earned $175,000 per year. According to a disposition issued by the D.C. Board of Ethics and signed by Lian, she also earned a six-figure salary while working full-time for Freddie Mac.

She joined Freddie Mac in 2015 but never disclosed that to D.C.’s government, officials said. The ethics investigation found Lian telecommuted several days per week at both jobs.

Additionally, Lian served as an elected council member for the City of Falls Church, in a role that D.C. officials were aware of.

On at least 10 occasions, Lian reported she was working in person at her D.C. government job when she actually was attending Falls Church City Council meetings, the investigation found. These included budget committee meetings she attended in person, as seen on video, on Friday mornings.

‘Now I am moving on’

Lian did not respond to News4’s requests for comment. She told the Falls Church News-Press that discrepancies on her time sheets were a “clerical error.” She called the investigation “very petty” and said, “I’ve corrected the form, paid the fine and now I am moving on.”

Lian is the second high-ranking D.C. government official to be fined and resign after being found to work a second full-time job while on D.C. government time. In April, the head of human resources for the D.C. Public Library was fined $17,500 and also resigned.

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Freddie Mac did not respond to inquiries from News4.