A federal employee who claimed she could work 26 hours in a single day just learned the hard way what happens when a “side hustle” turns into fraud.
This week, Crissy Monique Baker was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to repay more than $255,000 to the U.S. government after admitting she triple-billed federal agencies for overlapping work. While prosecutors pushed for jail time, the judge gave her a probation-only sentence, but with the acknowledgment that her federal career and security clearance are finished.
It’s the latest headline-grabbing case showing how “double-dipping” or, in this case, “triple-dipping,” isn’t just a questionable career move. It’s a crime.
The Allure and the Audit Trail
According to court documents, Baker took advantage of pandemic-era telework flexibilities, juggling jobs at HUD, AmeriCorps, and the National Institutes of Health. For months, she reported days that stacked up to an impossible 26 hours of claimed work.
The problem? As Sean Bigley, a former security clearance attorney and ClearanceJobs contributor, noted in his 2022 article, time sheets and receipts don’t lie. Billing cycles create a paper trail. When the hours don’t add up, investigators notice.
Baker’s own defense attorney admitted she performed well and was never reprimanded. But as Bigley emphasized years ago, good performance doesn’t erase fraudulent billing. The clearance process and now, criminal court is designed to catch when the math doesn’t match the story.
A Pattern, Not an Outlier
Baker’s case isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last. Bigley warned that multiple workers have already lost their clearances and careers for attempting the same thing. In some cases, prosecution was narrowly avoided.
What’s striking in Baker’s situation is how it unraveled: return-to-office policies cut into the “flexibility” that enabled her fraud. As Sen. Joni Ernst quipped, “true justice would mean requiring her to work just one of the 26-hour days she claimed to be doing.”
While some might see her probation as a slap on the wrist, the long-term consequence is clear: she will never again hold a federal position, her clearance is gone, and her financial penalty outweighs any short-term gain.
The Risk Isn’t Worth the Reward
For professionals in the national security community, the lesson couldn’t be clearer. Yes, the temptation is real, especially when remote work makes “side hustles” seem easier to conceal. But time cards, contracts, and billing records provide a permanent ledger that investigators can, and will, review.
If you’re looking for ways to add to your bank account, there are countless side hustles that don’t involve defrauding the federal government. Freelancing, teaching, consulting, or pursuing certifications that boost your long-term earning power are all safer, smarter bets.
As Bigley put it: doubling your salary loses its shine fast when weighed against the cost of losing your career, your clearance, and possibly your freedom.
Baker’s story is not just one person’s lapse in judgment. It’s a reminder that while flexibility blurred work boundaries, it didn’t erase accountability. Fraud leaves a trail. And in national security, the risk isn’t worth the reward.
