The deputy director of the D.C. Department of Buildings resigned after being fined $25,000 when she was found to have been secretly holding a second job and serving as an elected official in Falls Church, Virginia, while on D.C. government time.
According to records from the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, Caroline Lian had been working for the D.C. government since October 2022, earning $175,000 a year, but at the same time, she was earning a six-figure salary from Freddie Mac.
Lian is also an elected council member in the city of Falls Church and on at least 10 occasions attended Falls Church City Council meetings while reporting she was at work for the D.C. government, according to the investigation.
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A spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Buildings said Lian resigned.
According to the settlement signed by Lian, the former deputy Director did not disclose her job with Freddie Mac but did disclose her position on the Falls Church City Council.
Lian is the second D.C. official cited recently for working a separate full-time job on city time. The D.C. Public Library’s former human resources director resigned in May after it was discovered she had a second full-time job as well as a part-time job as a doula.
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