Archive

October 18, 2018

A political consultant has plead guilty to illegally influencing the awarding of a Department of Energy contract to renovate part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The consultant, Derf Butler, was allegedly approached by a developer who paid him $15,000 in cash to locate other developers and convince them to submit higher bids in exchange for subcontractor work on the project. He then lied to federal investigators about having any sort of financial relationship with the developer, even though by then, he'd requested another $15,000 and was anticipating additional funds. At least one developer who submitted a sham bid, Anton Kalafati of B Side Inc., has also plead guilty for his role in the fraud. USAO NDCA

October 15, 2018

Indal Technologies Inc. has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly selling the U.S. Navy helicopter landing systems that used substandard steel. The alleged fraud by Indal Technologies involved the substitution of a stronger steel for a weaker, less inexpensive steel in a component that helps secure a landing helicopter onto certain Navy destroyers. Due to the possibility of rough winds and seas during landing, it is crucial for this component to be made of high strength steel. DOJ; USAO NJ

October 15, 2018

Alpha Research & Technology, Inc. (ART) has agreed to pay $1 million to settle False Claims Act-based allegations of defense contract fraud. From 2006 to 2011, the command and control systems provider allegedly submitted inflated subcontractor pricing proposals to contractors who then unknowingly included the false claims in proposals submitted to the Department of Defense. Among the expenses claimed by ART were the personal expenses of co-owners Donne and DeAnne Smith for designing and constructing a luxury home, luxury cars, and luxury getaways. USAO EDCA

October 12, 2018

Michael Martin, the owner of a New York-based general contractor called Eastern Building & Restoration, Inc. has plead guilty to a multitude of charges, including fraudulently obtaining public works contracts, withholding over $400,00 in wages from over 50 employees, and stealing over $150,000 each from a minority-owned business and an insurance company. According to the Attorney General, Martin and co-defendant Dr. Scott Henzel, also of Eastern Building and Restoration, took control of two minority-owned businesses in order to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars worth of contracts intended for minority-owned businesses. Furthermore, they underpaid laborers working on public works projects and created false documentation and certifications stating otherwise. Separately, Martin also embezzled over $150,000 from one of the businesses and caused a false insurance claim to be filed on its behalf. He will be sentenced in both Albany and Schenectady counties in early December.  NY AG

October 9, 2018

A defense contractor has agreed to pay $7.8 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently obtaining Department of Defense contracts meant for small businesses. Arena Event Services, Inc., dba Arena Americas, allegedly paid kickbacks to the smaller Military Training Solutions, LLC (MTS) in order to obtain millions of dollars worth of contracts. The work was then performed by the larger Arena Americas in a setup explicitly prohibited by government contract rules. MTA has previously settled with the government for its role in the fraud. USAO SDGA

October 5, 2018

Contractor Martin Enterprises, Inc. and its surety Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company have agreed to pay $61,016 to settle claims under the False Claims Act that Martin falsely claimed payment for work under the federal Blight Elimination Program, which is funded by the Troubled Asset Relief Program.  Martin had been required to fill excavation sites in Ft. Wayne, Indiana with clean fill, but instead filled them with construction debris.  USAO N.D. In.

September 28, 2018

Sentient Science Corporation has agreed to pay $2,675,000 to settle allegations that it made false claims for funding under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program administered by the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy. SBIR grants are intended to stimulate technological and research innovations by small businesses. However, the company took advantage of the program by claiming expenses that had not yet been incurred, claiming to use third-parties in order to receive additional funding, and using less qualified employees to perform work.  USAO WDNY

September 24, 2018

Azam Doost, the former owner of Equity Capital Mining LLC, which operated a marble mine in Afghanistan, was convicted for defrauding the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. government agency in a $15.8 million loan the company obtained from OPIC. Doost had represented that he had no affiliation with mine suppliers who were paid from the loan proceeds; in fact, he had financial relationships with several of the suppliers, and diverted OPIC funds paid to those suppliers for his own use.  DOJ  For information on later sentencing, see here.

September 17, 2018

A father and son duo have been sentenced to decades in prison and are to pay over $1 million in restitution for defrauding small businesses, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Small Business Administration (SBA). After being hired to help small businesses win contracts with the USDA, father Joseph Glenn Osborne, Sr. allegedly stole over half a million dollars paid to his clients and used the money to buy himself a mansion. Father and son then conspired with others to fraudulently win contracts with the same agency for son Joseph Glenn Osborne, II's business, and were awarded five contracts worth over $4 million. After the contracts were terminated for default—and company funds were used to fund renovations for the aforementioned mansion and extravagant nights out—they attempted to fraudulently win contracts with the SBA. USAO SDCA

September 12, 2018

Sonag Ready Mix, LLC and owner Nicholas Rivecca have agreed to pay $629,732 to settle claims under the False Claims Act of defrauding the Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which gives socially and economically disadvantaged owners of small businesses a chance to compete for transportation-related government contracts. As ineligible applicants to the DBE program, the defendants allegedly got another entity, Nuvo Construction Company, Inc., certified and awarded contracts under the program, then did nearly all of the work for the contract and received all of the profits. USAO EDWI