Former Government Contractor Sentenced To Prison For Role In U.S. Army Contracts Bribery And Kickback Scheme – January 15, 2021
John Winslett admitted that from 2011 to 2018, he paid over $100,000 worth of bribes to two U.S. Army contracting officials who worked at the Range at Schofield Barracks, in order to steer federal contracts worth at least $19 million to his employer, a government contractor. The bribes included cash, automobiles, and firearms. In return, the contracting officials used their positions to benefit Winslett’s employer in securing U.S. Army contracts.
Former Director Of Finance Sentenced To Prison For Stealing $750,000+ From Her Employer Over 6 Years – January 15, 2021
Karen Owens was employed by Finger Lakes Conveyors, Inc. (FLC) as its Director of Finance from 2003 to 2017. Owens had authority to write and issue checks from FLC’s bank account in order to pay legitimate business expenses to FLC’s vendors and creditors.
Between June 2, 2011, and August 24, 2017, the Owens wrote and issued approximately 394 checks payable to herself from FLC’s account. Owens deposited the checks into an account which she owned and over which she had control. Between August 30, 2010, and August 24, 2017, Owens wrote and issued approximately 162 checks payable to J.P. Morgan Chase Bank from FLC’s bank account as payments on Chase Bank credit card accounts belonging to the defendant and her husband. In order to conceal some of the fraudulent and unauthorized checks, Owens failed accurately to record the checks in FLC’s QuickBooks accounting record; instead, she falsely recorded the checks as payment for legitimate business expenses.
Owens wrote checks totaling more than $750,000.
Former Public Housing Executive Pleads Guilty To $7 Million Embezzlement Scheme – January 15, 2021
Between March 2016 and July 2019, Cova Cambell used a variety of schemes to divert $6.9 in public money to her own bank accounts.
Cambell initiated wire transfers of as much as $500,000 from Pierce County Housing Authority (PCHA) accounts to her own bank accounts. One of the transfers was in connection with the purchase of land in Oklahoma.
Cambell also prepared and submitted false invoices to PCHA and made them appear they were from an outside vendor. PCHA paid the invoices, and the money went into Cambell’s
bank accounts. Cambell covered up her fraud by labeling these fraudulent charges as “investments,” “insurance,” or “maintenance” in the PCHA accounting records.
Cambell used the money to play for land and improvements to that land in Oklahoma, for improvements to her home in Lakewood, Washington, and for travel including trips to Las Vegas and the chartering of a private jet. She used some of the money for the purchase of two cars. She also diverted large amounts of the money for gambling and internet gaming.
Former Social Security Employee Pleads Guilty To Charges For Scheme To Obtain $236,000+ In Social Security Benefits By Allegedly Submitting Fictitious Claims – January 15, 2021
Cheikh Cisse was employed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a Claims Specialist in SSA’s Office of International Operations. Cisse admitted that between July 2018 and March 2019, he filed fictitious claims for benefits using stolen identities and identity documents he obtained through the course of his employment with SSA in order to steal or attempt to steal over $236,000 from SSA.
Cisse was responsible for reviewing the identity documents of social security claimants living abroad, such as passports, marriage certificates, and identity cards. Cisse then created new, fictitious identities in SSA’s database, often using information from the foreign identity documents he reviewed, which were issued social security numbers (SSNs). Cisse used the fictitious identities to file fraudulent claims for social security divorced spouse survivor’s benefits against actual deceased individuals, directing the benefits payments to debit cards or bank accounts he opened in the names of the fictitious identities using the identity documents he obtained through his employment.
Two U.S. Virgin Islands Police Officers Charged With Cocaine Trafficking – January 15, 2021
Teshawn Adams and Shakim Mike live in St. Thomas and are officers with the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department.
Adams accepted an offer from someone in the Virgin Islands to transport cocaine to South Florida in exchange for money. Together with fellow police officer Mike, Adams arranged a private flight from the Virgin Islands to South Florida. On January 12, the two officers boarded the jet, joined by defendants with travel bags containing more than 300 kilograms of cocaine. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered the cocaine, packaged as 294 individually plastic-wrapped bricks, during a security check: They saw the bricks on the screen of the X-ray machine that scanned the men’s bags at the Opa Locka Executive Airport on arrival. Tevon Adams, twin brother to one of the police officers, and Berkeley stood ready to transport the jet travelers and the cocaine from the Opa-Locka Airport to other areas of Florida, alleges the complaint affidavits.
Former Hospital Employees And Medical Device Distributor Charged With Scheme To Steal Medical Devices – January 14, 2021
An indictment was unsealed charging two former Beaumont employees and a medical supply distributor with wire fraud based upon a scheme to steal medical devices and/or medical supplies from Beaumont Hospital and then sell them on the internet, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider.
According to the indictment, from 2003 – 2017, Paul Purdy was employed at Beaumont Hospital. During his employment, he stole medical devices and / or medical supplies from the hospital and resold them via the internet to customers throughout the United States. Purdy never informed the purchasers that the medical devices and / or supplies he sold to them were stolen.
Purdy resigned from the hospital in 2017 and enlisted Valdet Seferovic, an employee of the hospital, to continue the scheme of stealing medical device and / or medical supplies. Serferovic had access to the medical supply and the cleaning and disinfecting rooms at the hospital.
In September 2017 Seferovic also agreed to steal and sell medical devices and / or medical supplies to Zafar Khan, the owner of Wholesale Medical & Surgical Suppliers of America, LLC. Once Khan acquired the stolen medical devices and/or medical supplies he sold them to unsuspecting purchasers via the internet.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor Charged With Grant Fraud Involving China – January 14, 2021
Gang Chen who was a professor and researcher at MIT was arrested and charged with failing to disclose contracts, appointments and awards from various entities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the U.S. Department of Energy.
According to charging documents, Chen is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in China. Chen serves as Director of the MIT Pappalardo Micro / Nano Engineering Laboratory and Director of the Solid-State Solar Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S3TEC). Since approximately 2013, Chen’s research at MIT has been funded by more than $19 million in grants awarded by various U.S. federal agencies.
Since 2012, Chen has allegedly held various appointments with the PRC designed to promote the PRC’s technological and scientific development by providing advice and expertise – sometimes directly to PRC government officials, and often in exchange for financial compensation. This includes acting as an “overseas expert” for the PRC government at the request of the PRC Consulate Office in New York and serving as a member of at least two PRC Talent Programs. Since 2013, Chen allegedly received approximately $29 million of foreign funding, including $19 million from the PRC’s Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/mit-professor-arrested-and-charged-grant-fraud
Former Building Inspector Accused Of Bribery Fined $55,000 By Ethics Commission – January 5, 2021
Anthony Harbaugh was a former building inspector with the city of Oakland, California. The violations include soliciting money from property owners in exchange for a “pass” on certain inspections.
The city’s public ethics commission fined Harbaugh $55,000 over accusations that he violated Oakland’s government ethics act by accepting bribes and misusing his position
Harbaugh who has denied violating the city law in a public ethics commission hearing in November, became the subject of an investigation when commission investigators started looking into Thomas Espinosa, another former building inspector who is alleged to have taken thousands of dollars in bribes from property owners whose buildings he was inspecting and failed to report to the city that he received large sums in contracting work from people whose properties he was inspecting.
Boeing Charged With 737 Max Fraud Conspiracy Agrees To Pay Over $2.5 Billion In Penalties Because Of Employees Fraudulent And Deceptive Conduct – January 11, 2021
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has agreed to pay over $2.5 billion in penalties as a result of “fraudulent and deceptive conduct by employees” in connection with the firm’s B737 Max aircraft crashes.
“The misleading statements, half-truths, and omissions communicated by Boeing employees to the FAA impeded the government’s ability to ensure the safety of the flying public,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas.
As Boeing admitted in court documents, Boeing through two of its 737 MAX Flight Technical Pilots deceived the FAA about an important aircraft part called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that impacted the flight control system of the Boeing 737 MAX. Because of their deception, a key document published by the FAA lacked information about MCAS, and in turn, airplane manuals and pilot-training materials for U.S.-based airlines lacked information about MCAS.
On Oct. 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashed shortly after takeoff into the Java Sea near Indonesia. All 189 passengers and crew on board died.
On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashed shortly after takeoff near Ejere, Ethiopia. All 157 passengers and crew on board died.
Former Director Of Pharmaceutical Company Charged With Theft Of Trade Secrets – January 13, 2021
Shafat Quadri was the former Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs at a New Jersey Pharmaceutical Company (PC). He was arrested on charges of stealing and illegally transmitting trade secrets.
The PC is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, creating vaccines, medicines and consumer healthcare products.
In October 2019, the PC contacted the FBI to report suspicious activity by Quadri, who had been employed there since 2015 as Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs. Quadri had access to sensitive intellectual property of the company, including research and other trade secrets.
The PC reported that an internal investigation revealed that before he left in September 2019, Quadri copied and removed thousands of files containing proprietary information, including research protocols, compound data, strategic plans. Quadri used unauthorized USB devices and personal email accounts to copy, transfer, and retain proprietary information from the PC. Some documents that were copied and removed were outside of Quadri’s area of work responsibility. Quadri was not authorized to keep or transfer any sensitive or proprietary documents.
Former Boston Police Clerk Arrested For Overtime Fraud Scheme And Theft Of $11,000+ – January 13, 2021
According to the indictment, the investigation revealed that Marilyn Golisano, who handled the overtime paperwork for her unit, submitted dozens of false and fraudulent overtime slips on which she had forged the signatures of at least three different Boston Police Department (BPD) supervisors. During the period of the alleged fraud, Golisano’s overtime compensation from the BPD more than doubled, increasing from just over $15,000 in 2016 to $26,000 in 2017 and to over $33,000 in 2018. This increase occurred despite the fact that Golisano’s duties did not change, her rate of pay did not significantly increase and no significant new overtime hours were approved by her supervisor. It is alleged that during several overtime shifts that Golisano claimed to be working in downtown Boston, she was actually miles away from Boston according to her cellphone’s geolocation records.
Golisano is alleged to have stolen $11,094 from BPD in 2017 and $18,090 in 2018.
Former Virginia Department Of Motor Vehicles Manager Sentenced To Prison For Bribery Conspiracy – January 12, 2021
Bruce Biondo worked for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, as a Program Manager, from 1988 until 2018, as part of the Virginia Rider Training Program (VRTP).
Beginning in at least 2011 and continuing to March 2018, Biondo admitted he accepted bribes from outside contractors, including a $15,000 payment from the sham sale of a motorcycle in 2011, additional cash payments totaling over $74,000 between February 2014 and February 2018, and the use of a Ford F-450 pick-up truck for personal purposes. In exchange, Biondo agreed to perform and performed official actions to benefit the preferred VRTP contractors who provided the bribes.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/former-dmv-program-manager-sentenced-bribery-conspiracy
Former Union Treasurer Admits Role In $40,000+ Embezzlement Scheme From Union – January 12, 2021
Jennifer Rogers (Daughter) pleaded guilty with embezzling from Local 2254 of the American Federal State County and Municipal Amalgamated Transit Workers Union (AFSCME).
Linda Rogers (Mother) was employed at the Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC) and held a part-time position at Local 2254 as its secretary treasurer. In that role, she had sole control over the union’s checking and savings accounts. From July 2016 through August 2017, her daughter, Jennifer Rogers, who also recently pleaded guilty to the same charges, deposited 112 unauthorized checks from Local 2254 to their joint checking and savings accounts, totaling $35,267. From October 2016 through December 2016, Linda Rogers made six wire transfers from Local 2254’s savings account, totaling $5,188, into her personal credit card account. None of the expenditures were authorized, or for legitimate union purposes.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/former-union-officer-admits-embezzlement
Former Procurement Director At Hospital Charged With Bribery, Extortion, And Money Laundering For 8 Years – January 11, 2021
Miami, Fl. – On Friday, the former Procurement Director for Broward Health appeared in Ft. Lauderdale federal court to face charges accusing him of awarding lucrative government contracts to vendors in exchange for bribes and of trying to conceal his crimes by directing the bribe money to various bank accounts.
For about 10 years, Brian Bravo worked as the Corporate Procurement Officer and Director of Materials Management for the North Broward Hospital District, known in the community as Broward Health. From 2008 to 2015, Bravo engaged in a kickback scheme with vendors that provided products and services to Broward Health, including health care products, linens, compression sleeves, and printer repairs. During that time, two of the vendors and a consultant for two other vendors made illegal kickback payments totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bravo in order to secure tens of millions of dollars of business from Broward Health. In 2015, Bravo directed the vendors to pay the bribes to two companies that Bravo controlled in order to hide the unlawful nature of the scheme.
Veterans Affairs Medical Center Respiratory Therapist Sentenced To Prison For Stealing And Selling COVID-19 Respiratory Supplies – January 11, 2021
Gene Wamsley admitted to stealing a ventilator and other respiratory medical equipment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and selling it for his own gain.
The investigation began in January 2020 when VAMC reported two bronchoscopes, used for examining a patient’s airway, went missing from the hospital. A third bronchoscope was reported missing in April 2020. In all, Wamsley admits stealing and selling three bronchoscopes worth over $100,000 for just $15,750. Wamsley sold the scopes to a Florida resident via eBay. When WAMSLEY’s home was searched in June, law enforcement seized a fourth bronchoscope and a $6,000 sleep apnea device called a WatchPat that had been stolen from the VA Medical Center. Further investigation revealed that in April 2020, Wamsley also stole a $9,950 respirator and sold it via eBay to an Ohio man for just $6,000.
The total loss to the United States from the thefts is $132,291.
Former Office Administrator Sentenced To Prison For $184,000+ Theft Of Government Funds – January 11, 2021
According to court records, from 2017 through 2019, while Codi Bates was employed as the Office Administrator for the city of Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, she stole funds from the city in a variety of means. She obtained the signatures of city officials under false pretenses, then wrote those checks to herself and her husband. She also used cash funds paid to the city for water services to pay for her personal expenses. Bates’s criminal conduct was initially uncovered in detail by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Audit. Bates converted $184,934.06 from Sulphur Springs for her own personal use during her period of employment from August of 2017 through March of 2019.
Former Director Of Operations Sentenced To Prison For $1.6 Million+ Of Fraud Over 5 Years – January 11, 2021
Jeff Dworek served as the Director of Operations at Metro Waste Authority (MWA). Over the course of nearly five years, Dworek stole money from MWA. Dworek created a front company, Britad – incorporated by Dworek in South Dakota – and proceeded to fraudulently bill MWA for services Britad never provided. In addition to setting up one front company, Dworek was also aware that two other MWA “vendors,” Lamar Programming Company and International Telemetry Technologies, also submitted false invoices to MWA and Dworek approved those invoices, knowing they were not legitimate. In addition to approving the fake invoices, Dworek also received payment from these companies, presumably as a kickback for Dworek’s role in the scheme.
Deutsche Bank Agrees To Pay $130+ Million To Resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act By Employees – January 8, 2021
According to admissions and court documents, between 2009 and 2016, Deutsche Bank, acting through its employees and agents, including managing directors and high-level regional executives, knowingly and willfully conspired to maintain false books, records, and accounts to conceal, among other things, payments to a business development consultant (BDC) who was acting as a proxy for a foreign official and payments to a BDC that were actually bribes paid to a decisionmaker for a client in order to obtain lucrative business for the bank. In some instances, Deutsche Bank made payments to BDCs that were not supported by invoices or evidence of any services provided. In other cases, Deutsche Bank employees created or helped BDC’s create false justifications for payments.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/deutsche-bank-agrees-pay-over-130-million-resolve-foreign-corrupt-practices-act-and-fraud
Former Health & Human Services Federal Agent Charge With Drug Trafficking / Witness Tampering – January 8, 2021
Alberico Crespo, a former Special Agent with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), conspired to traffic oxycodone, tamper with witnesses, and obstruct justice and with substantive counts of witness tampering. During the time of the alleged crimes, Crespo worked as part of the South Florida Health Care Fraud Strike Force, made up of interagency teams of federal investigators and prosecutors focused on combating health care fraud and health care-related narcotics trafficking in Southern Florida.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, the illegal Oxycodone distribution system involved patients, pharmacies, and medical clinics. Patients were recruited and sent to medical clinics to obtain Oxycodone prescriptions that they did not need. Once the patients obtained the prescriptions, they would give them to the recruiter in exchange for money. Recruiters would fill the prescriptions at certain pharmacies and sell the Oxycodone pills (at a mark-up) to third party street dealers.
Crespo used his position as an HHS-OIG Special Agent working on health care fraud cases to protect the Oxycodone operation by monitoring Strike Force investigations involving the operation, accessing and disclosing sensitive law enforcement information to Diaz Gutierrez, a patient recruiter, updating Diaz Gutierrez on the progress of health care fraud investigations, and coaching Diaz Gutierrez on how to lie to investigators and tamper with evidence.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/former-federal-agent-and-others-indicted-south-florida
Former Deputy Tax Collector Arrested For Embezzlement – January 5, 2021
Colleen Ladnier is accused of intentionally overcharging Jackson County residents as they paid for vehicle license tags. She allegedly embezzled the extra money she collected. Ladnier purportedly used a permanent marker to obscure payment amounts on customer receipts and conceal her embezzlement scheme. Local officials called the Auditor’s office when security camera footage from the tax collector’s office showed Ladnier stuffing cash she had recently collected into her shirt.
Former Bookkeeper Charged With Embezzling Nearly $600,000 From Employer – January 6, 2021
According to court documents, between January 2016 and December 2019, Kara Howland embezzled $598,241 from her employer by writing checks from her employer’s bank accounts to pay her credit card bills. Howland altered the company’s internal accounting records to make it appear that the checks were paid to legitimate vendors.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/new-bedford-woman-charged-embezzling-nearly-600000-employer
Former Medical Practice Office Manager / Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty To Bank Fraud – January 5, 2020
Beginning on or about January 2011 and continuing until her termination in December 2015, Anndrea Jacobs used her position and access to the medical practice’s finances to steal money from the practice by, among other means, writing business checks to herself or for her own benefit. Jacobs used the stolen funds to make payments on personal credit cards, and pay other personal expenses unrelated to the medical practice.
In an attempt to hide her illicit actions, Jacobs prepared and maintained false business financial records, overstating expenses and estimated tax payments. Further, without the knowledge or consent of the medical practice owner, she opened a business bank account in his name; deposited a business check payable to the Oregon Department of Revenue into her own personal account; gave the practice owner falsified property tax statements with total due balances of zero; and convinced the practice owner to grant her limited power of attorney to handle the practice’s pending IRS tax collection action.
In perhaps her most brazen attempt to conceal her embezzlement activity, Jacobs created a fictitious identity as an IRS Taxpayer Advocate, aka Linda Gibson; established a phone number and voicemail account for the fictitious identity; and purported to assist the medical practice owner with his IRS tax collection issues while impersonating “Linda Gibson.”
Ex-Labor Union President Sentenced To Prison For Embezzling $800,000 Of Union Health Plan Funds With The Help Of Wife, Son, Daughter – January 5, 2020
John Romero appointed himself President of United Industrial Services Workers of America (UISWA) and trustee of the UISWA health plan trust fund. Money paid into the fund was supposed to be used exclusively for health care benefits of its participants.
Instead, Romero stole the union’s health funds for the benefit of himself and his immediate family, which he used to pay for personal expenses including legal bills and a car loan for his son’s sports car.
In furtherance of his scheme, Romero appointed a sham trustee who had no prior experience with unions. He also actively misled the third-party administrators of the health plan into making improper payments from the trust fund.
From 2008 to 2014, Romero embezzled health plan funds to pay a $110,000 personal civil judgment against himself and his son, John J. Romero, 55, also of Loma Linda. He also embezzled $40,000 to pay criminal defense lawyers who represented Romero in a separate case. Romero funneled more than $310,000 to himself by disguising the funds as rent payments on two properties he owned and held under a shell company.
In addition, he stole more than $300,000 in union health plan money to make “salary” payments to his family, even though none of his family members ever worked for the plan. He also used plan funds to pay off a $25,000 loan on his son’s Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 sports car.
Romero also held in a secret bank account and from which he made regular payments to his mistress.
Romero advanced his scheme by appointing his son as the secretary and treasurer of the union. He later appointed his ex-wife, Evelyn Romero as the UISWA president and trustee in 2010, shortly before Romero began serving a two-year federal prison sentence for making false statements to federal officials while he was president of a different labor union.
Romero’s son, ex-wife, and daughter, Danae Romero pleaded guilty to criminal charges in this case.
Ticketmaster Fined $10 Million In Corporate Espionage Scheme By Employee – December 31, 2020
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday Ticketmaster would pay a $10 million fine as for using an employee’s login credentials to his former employer’s computer systems to garner information on the competitor. Zeeshan Zaidi, the former head of artist services at Ticketmaster, pled guilty to conspiring to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud in October 2019.
In the computer intrusion scheme detailed in the agreement, Ticketmaster tried to steal both a client and design ideas from a competitor by logging into the competitor’s back-end system. The former employee also stole the competitor’s fee calculation system in the form of an Excel spreadsheet.
Former Office Manager For Construction Company Charged With Fraud For Embezzling $2.3 Million+ In Company Funds – January 4, 2020
The former office manager of a construction company has been charged with fraud for allegedly embezzling more than $2.3 million in company funds.
Mildred Crowley fraudulently opened a corporate credit card and used it to charge the company for personal expenses.
Crowley’s personal expenses included payments related to a private horse farm and horse show, as well as restaurant meals, department store purchases, and travel throughout the United States. Crowley concealed the thefts by falsifying the company’s books and records to misrepresent her unauthorized use of the corporate card, the information states. The alleged fraud scheme spanned from 2009 to 2020.
Former Postal Worker Pleads Guilty To Failing To Deliver Over 700 Pieces Of Mail Which Included Three Absentee Ballots – January 4, 2020
On November 3, 2020, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers encountered the defendant, an employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS) at the time, at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry. In the trunk of Brandon Wilson’s vehicle, officers found 701 mailings, and a USPS employee uniform and employee identification badge. The mailings included three (3) official absentee ballots mailed from the Board of Elections to voters, 218 first class mailings, 106 political mailings, 36 regular nonprofit mailings, 305 regular standard mailings, and 33 magazine / catalogue mailings.
Former Bank Manager Sentenced To Prison For Stealing Nearly $1.2 Million In Benefits From The Social Security Administration And Department of Veterans Affairs – January 4, 2020
According to court documents, in August 2015 Javier Montano was the branch manager for bank in Las Vegas. He received information about two accounts within the bank with large balances and no activity.
The first account (Account A) was held by a Las Vegas resident who was receiving SSA retirement benefits. The individual passed away in February 1997. The SSA was not notified about the individual’s death, and benefits continued to be paid into the account.
The second account (Account B) was held by a Las Vegas resident who was receiving both SSA retirement benefits and VA benefits. The individual passed away in June 2011. Neither the SSA nor the VA was notified about the individual’s death, and benefits continued to accumulate in the account.
Through a bank computer, Montano ordered debit cards for both accounts, using them to withdraw cash which he either spent or deposited into his personal bank account and to make purchases for his personal use and benefit. In addition, Montano ordered and wrote checks (for his personal use) for Account B. Montano also used his authority as a branch manager to authorize a $35,000 cashier’s check from Account B. The vast majority of the funds were withdrawn in cash or spent on personal expenses, including the purchase of a luxury car.
In total, between August 2015 and June 2020, Montano fraudulently obtained: (a) approximately $436,686.80 in SSA benefits to which he was not entitled; and (b) approximately $757,985.88 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled.
Former Marine Corps Reserve Official Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Bribery For Facilitating $1.9 Million+ In Defense Contracts – January 4, 2020
In 2019, Erik Martin was a civilian employee of the United States Marines Corps Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) Distribution Management Office (DMO), located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Darrel Fitzpatrick was a Senior National Account Manager at Company A, a bus brokerage company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin accepted bribes in exchange for directing transportation contracts to businesses associated with Darrel Fitzpatrick.
The conspiracy resulted in at least $1.9 million in transportation contracts being corruptly awarded to companies associated with Fitzpatrick. In exchange for steering contracts to Fitzpatrick, Martin agreed to accept $250,000 in bribes.