WASHINGTON — The four-star general who headed US Africa Command used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite, a Defense Department investigation has found.
A 99-page report alleges excessive, unauthorized spending and travel costs for General William ‘‘Kip’’ Ward, including lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife, and his staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled to Washington.
It also said that Ward and his wife, Joyce, accepted dinner and Broadway show tickets from a government contractor during a trip on which he went backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington, and that the couple and several staff members spent two nights at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The allegations, coming after a 17-month investigation, deliver an embarrassing blow to the Army and to Ward, who had claimed a place in history as the military’s first commander of US Africa Command.
‘‘We conclude General Ward engaged in multiple forms of misconduct related to official and unofficial travel,’’ the inspector general’s report said. ‘‘He conducted official travel for primarily personal reasons and misused’’ military aircraft. It said he also misused his position and his staff’s time and received reimbursement for travel expenses that far exceeded the approved daily military rate without approval.
Ward, who is facing possible demotion for his activities, also could be forced to repay the government. The report said that there is an additional review going on to determine reimbursement for unofficial travel and daily travel costs that exceed approved levels. It is not clear whether he could face criminal charges.
In comments throughout the report, Ward defended the spending, saying his wife performed official duties on all the trips. But investigators, who pored over e-mails, calendar entries, and other documents, disagreed. Ward also said he was unaware that the person who gave him dinner and theater tickets in New York was a defense contractor.
Ward said the Bermuda layover was necessary as a ‘‘crew stop’’ and blamed his staff for making the decision to stay there rather than flying on to Stuttgart, Germany-based Africa Command.
The report by the Defense Department’s inspector general was obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
A prominent complaint in the report concerned Ward and his wife’s use of staff to run personal errands, traveling in government-rented cars.
One alleged incident involved Joyce Ward asking a staff member to go buy her a bag of ‘‘dark chocolate Snickers’’ bars, saying the general would provide ‘‘a couple of dollars’’ for it. Another time, staff drove her to a spa appointment and on other occasions they were asked to pick up books, gifts, sports tickets, and baby items, the report said.
US officials said Ward was warned several times by staff that his activities were wrong, to no avail. Instead, he appeared to reject their concerns and find ways to get around them.
In one case, Ward’s request to use military aircraft for a personal trip was denied, so he abruptly changed the trip to an official one, adding a quick meeting, and went anyway, the report said.
During one 11-day trip to Washington, Ward spent one day visiting wounded soldiers, had a 90-minute meeting on another day, and a State Department meeting on a third day but billed the Pentagon more than $129,000 to cover the daily hotel and other costs for him, his wife, and 13 civilian and military staff, investigators found.
The report concluded he did no other official business during that trip.
Investigators said Ward often extended his overseas trips — particularly those to the United States — for personal reasons, resulting in ‘‘exponential’’ increases in costs.
Although the report includes responses from Ward to a number of the allegations, investigators often found records and statements that contradicted his explanations. At one point, Ward defended the Bermuda layover on grounds that it came up on short notice, which is why his security team had to stay there longer.
The report found records showing that the layover had been planned for at least four days in advance.
A common theme running through the report was Ward’s insistence that his wife travel with him at government cost, even though it was often not authorized and she performed few official duties. It said he also routinely stayed in high-priced suites in luxury hotels rather than in standard rooms or less expensive locales.
And his staff — which can include advance and security teams — often traveled days prior to his arrival, including on the Bermuda stop, and stayed after he departed, according to the report. The cost of rooms in Bermuda for Ward and his staff came to more than $10,000, not including meals, transportation, or other costs.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make a decision on Ward’s fate before the end of the month.
Ward also came under fire for ‘‘needless and extravagant’’ gifts he distributed to others, including farewell tokens,parties, and souvenir books.
The report said he gave engraved pewter letter openers to Africa Command staff at a farewell event. He also spent about $34,000 on holiday parties in 2009 and 2010 and spent $14,000 to print a book that memorialized his time at Africa Command.