(a) When an employee of the United States Mint learns of or discovers a potential violation of 31 U.S.C. 333 or this subpart, he or she will refer the matter, with all available evidence, to the assessing official.

(b) The assessing official will consider relevant factors when determining whether to initiate an action to impose a civil penalty under the procedures in this subpart. Those factors may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) The scope of the misuse;

(2) The purpose and/or nature of the misuse;

(3) The extent of the harm caused by the misuse;

(4) The circumstances of the misuse;

(5) The commercial benefit intended to be derived from the misuse; and

(6) The repeated nature of the misuse.

(c) If the assessing official decides to initiate an action to impose a civil penalty under the procedures in this subpart, he or she will, in writing:

(1) Appoint an examining official; and

(2) Delegate to the examining official the authority to prepare, sign, and serve an Initial Notice of Assessment on behalf of the assessing official.