He was forced to move far from his family with only weeks of notice, despite there being more than 100 willing applicants for the job, including five who were found to be “best qualified,” the report said.

Ms. Rubens then took the vacant job in Philadelphia, which had far fewer responsibilities, but kept her salary of $181,497. Her move from Washington to Philadelphia cost $274,019 in relocation expenses.

The report recommended that the cost be recouped from Ms. Rubens.

As director of the Eastern Area Office, Ms. Graves coerced the director of the regional office in St. Paul to take a position in Baltimore, according to the report. She then took the St. Paul job, which had fewer responsibilities, but kept her salary of $173,949.

“We determined Ms. Graves inappropriately used her position of authority for personal and financial benefit,” the report concluded.

The report found a pattern of unnecessary moves among agency executives, where plum job vacancies were never announced and were instead filled by insiders, relocation bonuses were given even though there were qualified local applicants, moves almost always came with pay raises, and the government spent lavishly to buy and sell executives’ houses and to pay for moving expenses.

Often, moves were used as a way to give executives raises or bonuses when both are officially frozen, the report said.

Relocating 23 executives in the last three years cost the department about $1.8 million.

The inspector general’s office made criminal referrals to the United States attorney’s office for the District of Columbia regarding the actions of Ms. Rubens and Ms. Graves.