The NRC’s Office of Investigations recently published its Annual Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, summarizing its activities from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. In FY 2025, OI opened 90 cases, a 9% increase from FY 2024. But OI also increased the number of case closures, closing 98 cases in FY 2025––a 20% increase from FY 2024. While investigations into alleged discrimination (i.e., alleged retaliation against nuclear whistleblowers) increased, the number of such investigations remained well below prepandemic levels. Further, an overall trend of increasing investigations of materials licensees continued into 2025.
Below, we analyze how OI investigations compare to those in the previous FY and summarize significant OI investigations highlighted in the Annual Report.
Background
Created in 1982, OI is the law enforcement arm of the NRC. OI’s mission is to perform credible, thorough, timely, and objective investigations. OI investigates alleged wrongdoing by NRC licensees, certificate holders, permittees, and applicants, and its jurisdiction extends to contractors, subcontractors, and vendors of such entities. OI also provides investigative expertise to NRC staff on matters of regulatory concern that do not initially involve a specific indication of wrongdoing.
OI investigations typically involve allegations of willful violations of regulatory requirements, false statements, retaliation against whistleblowers, and other willful misconduct. An OI investigation can result in penalties imposed by the NRC against a company or individual, and OI can also refer matters to the US Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.
Fiscal Year 2025 By the Numbers
Total Case Inventory
OI’s total case inventory, which includes new cases opened during the FY and cases carried over from prior FYs, increased 6% in FY 2025 to 137 (100 investigations and 37 assists to staff). Of these totals, 44 investigations and three assists to staff were carried over from FY 2024.
While OI’s total case inventory has continued a slow but steady rise from a COVID-19 pandemic-era low of 84 in FY 2022, it has not yet fully returned to prepandemic levels (195 in FY 2018).
Types of Cases Opened
OI opened 90 cases in FY 2025 with the following breakdown by type and trend from FY 2024:
- 11 suspected materially false statements (a 57% decrease from FY 2024)
- 22 potential violations of other NRC regulatory requirements (an 18% decrease)
- 23 allegations of discrimination, i.e., retaliation (a 21% increase)
- 34 assists to staff (a 13% increase)
The 90 opened cases also break down along the following program categories:
- 41 reactor investigations (an 8% increase from FY 2024)
- 15 reactor assists to staff (a 27% decrease)
- 15 materials investigations (a 7% increase)
- 19 material assists to staff (a 72% increase)
There are three notable trends in the data on cases opened. First, the number of discrimination investigations (i.e., potential violations of NRC’s whistleblower employee protection provisions) has increased in each of the last five fiscal years from 11 in FY 2021 to 23 in FY 2025. Yet this is still just over half the average number of discrimination investigations in the four years before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (40).
Second, the number of reactor investigations continues to slowly climb from their nadir during the pandemic. Third, the number of materials investigations and materials assists to Staff continue to increase.
Cases Closed
OI closed 98 cases in FY 2025, a 20% increase from the number of cases closed in FY 2024. Of these closed cases, 44 were reactor investigations and 18 were materials investigations.
Unlike in prior year reports, OI did not provide data on the number of investigations in which it substantiated allegations of wrongdoing. But of the 62 investigations closed (both reactor and materials investigations), 100% were closed in 12 months or less, which exceeds OI’s performance standard of 90%. Similarly, all 36 assists to Staff closed in FY 2025 were closed within 90 days, exceeding OI’s 90% performance metric.
Significant Investigations
OI’s annual report summarized the following investigations involving deliberate misconduct:
- OI substantiated allegations that a Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) at a medical licensee facility engaged in deliberate misconduct by failing to maintain information related to a significant event involving a spill of radioactive material that was complete and accurate in all materials respects. The results of this investigation remain under regulatory review.
- OI substantiated allegations that a Senior Reactor Operator at a nuclear power plant engaged in deliberate misconduct by submitting inaccurate documentation to the licensee corrective action program. The evidence also showed that a Licensed Reactor Operator acted with careless disregard by bypassing procedural steps, and a radiation protection technician failed to properly survey and decontaminate exposed personnel. The NRC identified six apparent violations from these findings. The NRC and the licensee engaged in mediation that resulted in a confirmatory order. The NRC also issued notices of violation to two former licensed operators for their willful actions.
- OI substantiated an allegation that a licensee contractor’s employees falsified testing equipment calibration records for nondestructive test equipment used at nuclear power plants. After negotiations with the DOJ in October 2023, the subjects pled guilty to knowingly and willfully falsifying testing equipment calibration records within the jurisdiction of the NRC. In January 2024, one employee was banned from participation or employment in NRC-licensed activities for five years, and the other employee was banned for two years.
- OI substantiated allegations that the RSO at a licensee facility deliberately failed to coordinate with a local law enforcement agency (LLEA) and deliberately failed to document and maintain records of annual LLEA coordination efforts. The RSO’s actions caused the licensee to violate regulatory requirements. This investigation stemmed from an NRC inspection, which identified inconsistencies in the licensee’s documentation of and annual coordination with an LLEA. The results of this investigation remain under regulatory review by the NRC staff.
- OI substantiated allegations that industrial radiographers failed to comply with NRC safety regulations while performing industrial radiography at a temporary job site under NRC jurisdiction. The investigation found that one radiographer deliberately failed to maintain constant surveillance of a radiographic device containing approximately 30 curies of iridium-192 in an unrestricted area. The results of this investigation remain under regulatory review.
How We Can Help
Our team stands ready to assist licensees in connection with NRC allegations, investigations, and enforcement. We will continue closely following and reporting on these topics.