Category Archives: EDVA

Former Defense Contractor Employee and Wife Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud Millions in Scheme Involving Supplies to Afghan National Army

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Keith Johnson, 46, and his wife, Angela Johnson, 44, of Maryville, Tenn., pleaded guilty today to their roles in a $9.7 million procurement fraud scheme.

Mythili Raman, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Robert E. Craig, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Special Agent in Charge of Mid-Atlantic Field Office; John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR); and Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU), made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia.

The Johnsons were indicted on July 16, 2013, by a federal grand jury on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud charges.  Keith Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and Angela Johnson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when they are sentenced on Feb. 14, 2014.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Keith Johnson admitted to serving as the program manager for a Department of Defense contractor that operated a central maintenance facility (CMF) in Kabul, Afghanistan, and other facilities in that country to maintain and repair vehicles used by the Afghan National Army.  In his position during 2007 to 2008, Keith Johnson was involved in purchasing vehicle parts from vendors.  The Johnsons formed a company in Tennessee, Military Logistics Support (MLS), and listed only the names of relatives as officials in the documents filed.  Angela Johnson operated the company.  When Keith Johnson’s company solicited quotes for different vehicle parts that were needed, Angela Johnson, using her maiden name of “Angela Gregory” to conceal her relationship to Keith Johnson, responded with quotes based on parts that she was able to purchase from other vendors of vehicle parts.  Keith Johnson used his position as program manager to write letters justifying awards of purchase orders for parts to MLS without seeking competitive quotes, and in instances in which there had been competitive quotes, approving recommendations that the awards be made to MLS.

The Johnsons also conspired with John Eisner and Jerry Kieffer, two individuals who worked at the CMF as subcontractors to Keith Johnson’s company, to have Keith Johnson similarly steer purchase orders for other types of vehicle parts to Eisner’s and Kieffer’s separate company, Taurus Holdings.  Eisner submitted the quotes for Taurus using a fake name to conceal his connection to the subcontractor.  Eisner and Kieffer paid kickbacks to the Johnsons and on occasion engaged in collusive bidding with the Johnsons so that MLS could win competitions for certain purchase orders.  Eisner and Kieffer previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and will be sentenced on Dec. 18, 2013.

As a result of the scheme, Keith Johnson’s company awarded MLS at least $9.7 million worth of purchase orders for vehicle parts by Keith Johnson’s company.

This case was investigated by DCIS, FBI, SIGAR and Army MPFU.  Trial Attorney Daniel Butler of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Jack Hanly and Ryan Faulconer of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

US Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty in Georgia to Stealing Identity Information from US Army Computer System

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Ammie Brothers, 29, of Columbus, Ga., a sergeant in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully obtaining personal information from the U.S. Army’s Army Knowledge Online computer system.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride; U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Michael J. Moore; and Director Daniel T. Andrews of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Computer Crime Investigative Unit.

Brothers pleaded guilty before U. S. District Judge Clay Land in Columbus, Ga., to one count of unauthorized access to information from a U.S. Army computer system.  She was charged on Feb. 14, 2013, in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Brothers admitted that between April 24, 2009, and Oct. 5, 2011, she repeatedly and intentionally accessed two victims’ Army Knowledge Online accounts, which contain personnel files for members of the armed services.  Brothers initially gained access by calling the Army Knowledge Online help desk in the Eastern District of Virginia and providing the victims’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth in order to obtain temporary passwords.

When law enforcement searched Brothers’s home in Columbus, they recovered numerous documents printed from the Army Knowledge Online system that contained victims’ Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and employment history, including the Social Security number of one minor child.  Brothers admitted to law enforcement that, in addition to illegally accessing the victims’ Army Knowledge Online accounts, she regularly harassed the victims by telephone and accessed several credit card accounts belonging to one victim, and in one case authorized charges without the victim’s knowledge or consent.

At sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 24, 2013, Brothers faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

This case was investigated by the Computer Crime Investigative Unit of U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.   The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Peter V. Roman of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Kelly of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia.

Former Security Contractor CEO Sentenced for Masterminding $31 Million Disadvantaged Small Business Fraud Scheme

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The former chief executive officer of a Virginia-based security contracting firm was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to 72 months in prison for creating a front company to obtain more than $31 million intended for disadvantaged small businesses and for bribing the former regional director for the National Capital Region of the Federal Protective Service (FPS) as part of the scheme. The front company obtained the contracts through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Section 8(a) program, which allows qualified small businesses to receive sole-source and competitive-bid contracts set aside for minority-owned and disadvantaged small businesses.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Inspector General Paul K. Martin; SBA Inspector General Peggy E. Gustafson; Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Special Agent in Charge of Mid-Atlantic Field Office Robert E. Craig; General Services Administration (GSA) Inspector General Brian D. Miller; and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Inspector General Charles K. Edwards made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

“Keith Hedman used his expertise gleaned from decades as a government contractor to cheat the system and steal tens of millions from minority-owned small business owners,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. “Today’s sentence shows that those who resort to deceit and bribery to secure federal contracts will be caught and held accountable.”

“Keith Hedman tried to game the system and take advantage of a government program designed to help minority-owned small businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride.  “He committed fraud, he undermined the trust of the U.S. government and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.  My office is committed to prosecuting those who cheat the government to the fullest extent of the law.”    “I commend the outstanding efforts of our agents and the other law enforcement agencies involved in this case in protecting the integrity of the Federal Government’s procurement program and taxpayer dollars” said NASA Inspector General Paul K. Martin.

Keith Hedman, 53, of Arlington, Va., was sentenced today after pleading guilty to major government fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery on March 13, 2013. Hedman was also ordered to forfeit approximately $6.1 million.

According to court documents, in or about 2011 Hedman formed Company A, which was approved to participate in the 8(a) program based on the 8(a) eligibility of its listed president and CEO, an African-American female. When the listed president and CEO left Company A in 2003, Hedman became its sole owner, and the company was no longer 8(a)-eligible.

In 2003, Hedman created Company B, another Arlington-based security contractor, to ensure that he could continue to gain access to 8(a) contracting preferences for which Company A was no longer qualified. Prior to applying for Company B’s 8(a) status, Hedman selected an employee, Dawn Hamilton, 48, of Brownsville, Md., to serve as a figurehead owner based on her Portuguese heritage and history of social disadvantage. In reality, the new company was managed by Hedman and Company A senior leadership in violation of 8(a) rules and regulations. To deceive the SBA, the co-conspirators falsely claimed that Hamilton formed and founded the company and that she was the only member of the company’s management. Based on those misrepresentations, Company B obtained 8(a) status in 2004.

From 2004 through February 2012, Hedman – not Hamilton – impermissibly exercised ultimate decision-making authority and control over Company B by directing its finances, allocation of personnel, and government contracting activities.  Hedman nonetheless maintained the impression that Hamilton was leading the company, including through forgeries of signatures of Hamilton to documents she had not seen or drafted. Hedman also retained ultimate control over the shell business’s bank accounts throughout its existence.  In 2010, Hedman withdrew $1 million in cash from Company B’s accounts and gave the funds in cash to Hamilton and three other conspirators. In 2011, Hedman approached Hamilton’s brother about starting another shell company to continue the scheme.  The trio submitted another fraudulent application to the SBA, but it was rejected.

Later in 2011, Hedman agreed to pay Derek Matthews, 47, of Harwood, Md., the former FPS Regional Director for the National Capital Region, $50,000 and a percentage of new business in exchange for Matthews helping Company B obtain contracts.  During the bribery scheme, Matthews served as FPS Deputy Assistant Director for Operations, a law enforcement position in which he had daily oversight of physical security programs and oversight of approximately 13,000 FPS officers at approximately 9,000 federal buildings.

In total, the scheme netted government contracts valued at more than $153 million, from which Company B obtained more than $31 million in contract payments. The various conspirators netted more than $6.1 million that they were not entitled to receive from those payments. Seven other defendants have pleaded guilty in the scheme.

This case is being investigated by NASA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the SBA -OIG, DCIS-OIG, GSA-OIG, and DHS-OIG, with assistance from the Defense Contract Audit Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Golder and Ryan Faulconer, a former Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Former Security Contractor Executives Sentenced for Illegally Obtaining More Than $31 Million Intended for Disadvantaged Small Businesses

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Two executives at a Virginia-based security contracting firm were sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles in using a front company to obtain more than $31 million intended for disadvantaged small businesses as part of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Section 8(a) program. This program allows qualified small businesses to receive sole-source and competitive-bid contracts set aside for minority-owned and disadvantaged small businesses.

 Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Inspector General Paul K. Martin; SBA Inspector General Peggy E. Gustafson; Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Special Agent in Charge of Mid-Atlantic Field Office Robert E. Craig; General Services Administration (GSA) Inspector General Brian D. Miller; and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Inspector General Charles K. Edwards made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Joseph Richards, 52, of Arlington, Va., and David Lux, 66, of Springfield, Va., were sentenced today to 27 and 15 months in prison, respectively, after pleading guilty in March 2013 to conspiracy to commit major government fraud. Both men were ordered to complete community service as part of their supervised release following their prison terms. Richards was ordered to pay $120,378 in restitution, and Lux was ordered to forfeit $115,556.

According to court documents, Richards and Lux were executives at an Arlington-based security contracting firm referred to as Company A in court records. In approximately 2001, Keith Hedman, 53, of Arlington, formed Company A, which was approved to participate in the 8(a) program based on the 8(a) eligibility of its listed president and CEO, an African-American female. When the listed president and CEO left Company A in 2003, Hedman became its sole owner, and the company was no longer 8(a)-eligible.

In 2003, Hedman created Company B, another Arlington-based security contractor, to ensure that he could continue to gain access to 8(a) contracting preferences for which Company A was no longer qualified. Prior to applying for Company B’s 8(a) status, Hedman selected an employee, Dawn Hamilton, 48, of Brownsville, Md., to serve as a figurehead owner based on her Portuguese heritage and history of social disadvantage. In reality, the new company was managed by Hedman and Company A senior leadership in violation of 8(a) rules and regulations. To deceive the SBA, the co-conspirators falsely claimed that Hamilton formed and founded the company and that she was the only member of the company’s management. Based on those misrepresentations, Company B obtained 8(a) status in 2004. From 2004 through February 2012, Hedman – not Hamilton – impermissibly exercised ultimate decision-making authority and control over Company B by directing its finances, allocation of personnel, and government contracting activities.

Richards and Lux joined the scheme in 2005 and 2008, respectively. Hedman offered Richards and Lux ownership stakes in Company B in exchange for their assistance in misleading the SBA and other U.S. government agencies, and both men accepted. Once they joined the conspiracy, Richards and Lux took a variety of actions to further the fraud against the United States. In 2008, for example, both Richards and Lux helped Company B overcome a protest by another company that accused Company A and Company B of improperly obtaining a $48 million Coast Guard contract.

From 2008 to 2010, Richards moved to Company B’s payroll to help Hedman illegally operate Company B. In 2010, Lux helped Hedman withdraw more than $1 million in cash from Company B’s accounts, which Hedman then disbursed to various conspirators, including $100,000 in cash to both Richards and Lux. Richards and Lux also assisted Hedman, Hamilton, and other co-conspirators prepare false documents, including annual reviews, to submit to SBA and other government agencies.

In total, the scheme netted government contracts valued at more than $153 million, from which Company B obtained more than $31 million in contract payments. The various conspirators netted more than $6.1 million that they were not entitled to receive from those payments.

Six other defendants have pleaded guilty in the scheme:

• Hedman is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee on June 21, 2013. • Hamilton is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III on June 28, 2013. • David Sanborn, 60, of Lexington, S.C., Company A’s former president, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S District Judge Claude M. Hilton on July 19, 2013. • John Hertogs, 42, of Winter Springs, Fl., Company B’s former director of operations, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Hilton on July 12, 2013, for submitting a fraudulent 8(a) application for a follow-on company that Hedman and Hamilton intended to use once Company B graduated from the 8(a) program. • Derek Matthews, 47, of Harwood, Md., former Regional Director for the National Capital Region of the Federal Protective Service, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Brinkema on July 19, 2013, for a related bribery scheme in which Hedman agreed to pay Matthews $50,000 and a percentage of new business in exchange for Matthews helping Company B obtain contracts. • Michael Dunkel, 59, of Merritt Island, Fl., is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lee on Oct. 4, 2013, for obtaining more than $4.4 million in payments by using Company B as a pass-through company on NASA contracts.

This case is being investigated by NASA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the SBA -OIG, DCIS-OIG, GSA-OIG, and DHS-OIG, with assistance from the Defense Contract Audit Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Golder and Ryan Faulconer, a former Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

French Oil and Gas Company, Total, S.A., Charged in the United States and France in Connection with an International Bribery Scheme

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Total, S.A., a French oil and gas company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange, has agreed to pay a $245.2 million monetary penalty to resolve charges related to violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with illegal payments made through third parties to a government official in Iran to obtain valuable oil and gas concessions, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern of Virginia.

As part of the agreed resolution, the department today filed a criminal information in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia charging Total with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA, one count of violating the internal controls provision of the FCPA, and one count of violating the books and records provision of the FCPA.  The department and Total agreed to resolve the charges by entering into a deferred prosecution agreement for a term of three years.  In addition to the monetary penalty, Total also agreed to cooperate with the department and foreign law enforcement to retain an independent corporate compliance monitor for a period of three years and to continue to implement an enhanced compliance program and internal controls designed to prevent and detect FCPA violations.

Also today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) entered into a cease-and-desist order against Total in which the company agreed to pay an additional $153 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest.  Total also agreed with the SEC to comply with certain undertakings regarding its FCPA compliance program, including the retention of a compliance consultant.

In addition, French enforcement authorities announced earlier today that they had requested that Total, Total’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and two additional individuals be referred to the Criminal Court for violations of French law, including France’s foreign bribery law.

“Today we announce the first coordinated action by French and U.S. law enforcement in a major foreign bribery case,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman.  “Our two countries are working more closely today than ever before to combat corporate corruption, and Total, which bought business through bribes, now faces the criminal consequences across two continents.”

“The Eastern District of Virginia, through our strong partnership with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, is committed to holding accountable those who violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.  “Today’s deferred prosecution agreement, with both its punitive and forward-looking compliance provisions, dovetails with our goals of bringing violators to justice and preventing future misconduct.”

According to the deferred prosecution agreement, in 1995 Total sought to re-enter the Iranian oil and gas market by attempting to obtain a contract with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) to develop the Sirri A and E oil and gas fields.  In May 1995, Total entered into negotiations with an Iranian official who served as the chairman of an Iranian state-owned and state-controlled engineering company.  Total subsequently entered into a purported consulting agreement pursuant to which Total would corruptly make payments to an intermediary designated by the Iranian official to secure NIOC signing a development agreement with Total for the Sirri A and E project, which NIOC did in July 1995.  Over the next two-and-a-half years, Total paid approximately $16 million in bribes under the purported consulting agreement.

In 1997, Total sought to negotiate a contract with NIOC to develop a portion of the South Pars gas field, the world’s largest gas field.  At the direction of the Iranian official, Total and a second intermediary entered into another purported consulting agreement that called for Total to make large payments to the intermediary.  In September 1997, Total executed a contract with NIOC that granted it a 40 percent interest in developing phases two and three of the South Pars gas field.  Over the next seven years, Total made unlawful payments of approximately $44 million pursuant to the second purported consulting agreement.

In sum, between 1995 and 2004, at the direction of the Iranian official, Total corruptly made approximately $60 million in bribe payments under the agreements for the purpose of inducing the Iranian official to use his influence in connection with Total’s efforts to obtain and retain lucrative oil rights in the Sirri A and E and South Pars oil and gas fields.  Total mischaracterized the unlawful payments as “business development expenses” when they were, in fact, bribes designed to corruptly influence a foreign official.  Further, Total failed to implement effective internal accounting controls, permitting the consulting agreements’ true nature and true participants to be concealed and thereby failing to maintain accountability for assets.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Andrew Gentin of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Connolly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and by the SEC’s New York Regional Office.  The department also acknowledges and expresses its deep appreciation for the cooperation and partnership of French law enforcement authorities.

Parker Drilling Company Resolves FCPA Investigation and Agrees to Pay $11.76 Million Penalty

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Parker Drilling Company Resolves FCPA Investigation and Agrees to Pay $11.76 Million Penalty
 Parker Drilling Company, a publicly listed drilling-services company, headquartered in Houston, has agreed to pay an $11.76 million penalty to resolve charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for authorizing payment to an intermediary, knowing that the payment would be used to corruptly influence the decisions of a Nigerian government panel reviewing Parker Drilling’s adherence to Nigerian customs and tax laws.  Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia announced the charges.

The investigation of Parker Drilling stemmed from the Justice Department’s Panalpina-related investigations, which previously yielded criminal resolutions with Panalpina and five oil and gas service companies and subsidiaries and resulted in more than $156 million in criminal penalties.

Today, the department filed a deferred prosecution agreement and a criminal information against Parker Drilling in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  The one-count information charges Parker Drilling with violating the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions.

According to court documents, in  2001 and 2002, Panalpina World Transport (Nigeria) Limited, working on Parker Drilling’s behalf, avoided certain costs associated with complying with Nigeria’s customs laws by fraudulently claiming that Parker Drilling’s rigs had been exported and then re-imported into Nigeria.  In late 2002, Nigeria formed a government commission, commonly called the Temporary Import (TI) Panel, to examine whether Nigeria’s Customs Service had collected certain duties and tariffs that Nigeria was due. In December 2002, the TI Panel commenced proceedings against Parker Drilling.  The TI Panel later determined that Parker Drilling had violated Nigeria’s customs laws and assessed a $3.8 million fine against Parker Drilling.

According to court documents, rather than pay the assessed fine, Parker Drilling contracted indirectly with an intermediary agent to resolve its customs issues.  From January to May 2004, Parker Drilling transferred $1.25 million to the agent, who reported spending a portion of the money on various things including entertaining government officials.  Emails in which the agent requested additional money from Parker Drilling referenced the agent’s interactions with Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance, State Security Service, and a delegation from the president’s office.  Two senior executives within Parker Drilling at the time reviewed and approved the agent’s invoices, knowing that the invoices arbitrarily attributed portions of the money that Parker Drilling transferred to the agent to various fees and expenses.  The agent succeeded in reducing Parker Drilling’s TI Panel fines from $3.8 million to just $750,000.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Justice Department agreed to defer prosecution of Parker Drilling for three years.  Parker Drilling agreed, among other things, to implement an enhanced compliance program and internal controls capable of preventing and detecting FCPA violations, to report periodically to the department concerning Parker Drilling’s compliance efforts, and to cooperate with the department in ongoing investigations.  If Parker Drilling abides by the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, the department will dismiss the criminal information when the term of the agreement expires.

In entering into the deferred prosecution agreement with Parker Drilling, the Justice Department took into account a number of considerations.  Parker Drilling conducted an extensive, multi-year investigation into the charged conduct; engaged in widespread remediation, including ending its business relationships with officers, employees, or agents primarily responsible for the corrupt payments, enhancing scrutiny of high-risk third-party agents and transactions, increasing training and testing requirements, and instituting heightened review of proposals and other transactional documents for all the company’s contracts; otherwise significantly enhanced its compliance program and internal controls; and agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigation of the conduct.

Parker Drilling also reached a settlement of a related civil complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charging Parker Drilling with violating the FCPA’s anti-bribery, books and records, and internal controls provisions.  As part of that settlement, Parker Drilling agreed to pay $3.05 million in disgorgement and $1.04 million in prejudgment interest relating to those violations.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Stephen J. Spiegelhalter of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmine Yoon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and is being investigated by the FBI. The department’s Office of International Affairs assisted in the investigation.  The department also acknowledges and is grateful for the assistance of the Crown Prosecution Service, the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service, and SEC.

Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

Security Contractors Plead Guilty in Virginia to Illegally Obtaining $31 Million from Contracts Intended for Disadvantaged Small Businesses

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Executives at two Arlington, Va.-based businesses have pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining more than $31 million in government contract payments that should have gone to disadvantaged small businesses.

 The guilty pleas were announced today by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and NASA Inspector General Paul K. Martin.

“These executives used their knowledge and experience to abuse a program created to ensure minority small business owners could compete for government contracts,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “They not only illegally obtained millions from the United States, they also victimized legitimate minority owners who didn’t get the bids.”

“Keith Hedman and his co-conspirators fraudulently obtained valuable government contracts intended for minority-owned small businesses, and pocketed millions of dollars for themselves,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman.  “They abused an important government program, and will now face the consequences.”

“This investigation confirmed that these executives repeatedly took actions that gave them a fraudulent advantage in the contracting process,” said NASA Inspector General Martin.  “I commend the outstanding efforts of our agents and our law enforcement partners involved in this case in protecting the integrity of the 8(a) program.”

According to court documents, Keith Hedman, 53, of Arlington, formed an Arlington-based security service consulting company in approximately 2001.  Hedman formed the company, listed as Company A in court filings, with an African-American woman who was listed as its president and CEO to enable the company to participate in the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Section 8(a) program, which enables certain small businesses to receive sole-source and competitive-bid contracts set aside for minority-owned and disadvantaged small businesses.  In 2001, Hedman’s company received approval to participate in the 8(a) program on the basis of the African-American president and CEO’s listed role, but when she left the company in 2003, Hedman became its sole owner and the company was no longer 8(a)-eligible.

Hedman admitted that in 2003 he created a shell company, listed as Company B in court records, to ensure he could continue to gain access to 8(a) contracting preferences for which Company A was not qualified.  Prior to applying for the shell company’s 8(a) status, Hedman selected an employee, Dawn Hamilton, 48, of Brownsville, Md., to serve as a figurehead owner based on her Portuguese heritage and history of social disadvantage, when in reality the new company would be managed by Hedman and senior leadership at Company A.  To deceive the SBA, they falsely claimed that Hamilton formed and founded the company and that she was the only member of the company’s management.  They continued to mislead the SBA through 2012, even lying to the SBA to overcome a protest filed by another company accusing Hedman’s former company and the shell company of being inappropriately affiliated.

From Company B’s creation through February 2012, Hedman – not Hamilton – exercised ultimate decision-making authority and control over the company by controlling its finances, allocation of personnel and government contracting activities.  Hedman nonetheless maintained the impression that Hamilton was leading the company, including through forgeries of signatures by Hamilton to documents she had not seen or drafted.  Hedman also retained ultimate control over the shell business’s bank accounts throughout its existence.  In 2011, Hedman withdrew $1 million in cash from Company B’s accounts and gave the funds in cash to Hamilton and three other co-conspirators. In total, Hedman and Hamilton secured through the shell company more than $31 million in government contract payments, which generated more than $6 million in salary and payments for the conspirators that they were not entitled to receive.

In addition, Hedman admitted that he agreed to pay a $50,000 bribe through the shell business to a U.S. government contracting official for the official’s help in securing contracts for Company B.

Hedman and Hamilton pleaded guilty on March 13 and March 15, 2013, respectively, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to major government fraud and face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a multimillion-dollar fine for that charge. Hedman also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  Hedman agreed to forfeit more than $6.3 million, and Hamilton agreed to forfeit more than $1.2 million.  Hedman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 21, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.  Hamilton’s sentencing is scheduled for June 21, 2013, before U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III.

In addition, the following individuals have also pleaded guilty to major fraud or conspiracy to commit major fraud:

• David George Lux, 62, of Springfield, Va., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.  Lux served as the chief financial officer at Company A from 2007 through February 2012 and performed work for Company B throughout that time while officially on Company A’s payroll.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14, 2013, by Judge Brinkema.

• Joseph Richards, 51, of Arlington, pleaded guilty on March 14, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Brinkema in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Richards served as the chief operating officer and chief of staff for Company A from 2005 through 2008 and then vice president from 2010 through February 2012.  He also served as Company B’s chief of staff from 2008 through 2010.  According to court documents, Richards performed work for Company B throughout his time at both companies. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14, 2013, by Judge Brinkema.

• David Sanborn, 60, of Lexington, S.C., pleaded guilty on March 13, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Sanborn served as vice president at Company A from 2001 through 2009 and the company’s president from 2010 through February 2012.  According to court documents, Sanborn performed work for Company B from its inception while on Company A’s payroll.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28, 2013, by Judge Hilton.

This case was investigated by the NASA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the SBA OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the General Services Administration OIG and the Department of Homeland Security OIG.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Golder and Ryan Faulconer, a former Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

CIA Contractors Settle False Claims Act and Kickback Allegations for $3 Million United States Alleges Companies Provided Government Employees with Meals and Entertainment to Steer Contract Award

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The Justice Department announced today that American Systems Corporation,  International Inc., and Corning Cable Systems LLC have agreed to pay the United States $3 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Act in bidding on a contract with the CIA.

The settlement announced today resolves claims against these contractors related to a CIA contract awarded to American Systems in early 2009 to provide supplies and services.  American Systems teamed with Anixter to bid on the contract with Corning as a supplier.   The United States alleged that American Systems, Anixter and Corning provided gratuities, including meals, entertainment, gifts and tickets to sporting and other events, to CIA employees and outside consultants in order to influence contract specifications that would favor the three companies in the award of the contract. The settlement also resolves allegations that the three companies improperly received source selection information from a CIA employee to whom they had provided gratuities, and that they had concealed the gratuities prior to award.

“This settlement shows that the United States will protect the integrity of the federal procurement process from the wrongful activities of unscrupulous contractors,” said Stuart F. Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice, Civil Division.   “Plying government officials with meals and entertainment to gain favorable treatment in the award of federal contracts corrupts the procurement process and will not be allowed.”  

 “Improper gifts and gratuities paid to government officials are a corrupting influence on government contracts. Combating this type of conduct is a high priority in the Eastern District of Virginia,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil MacBride.

“This case clearly reflects that the CIA will respond effectively to allegations of fraud affecting agency programs,” said CIA Inspector General David B. Buckley. “My office treats contract fraud and related employee misconduct as one of our top investigative priorities, and we work closely with agency employees and the Department of Justice to ensure that illegal acts are addressed in an effective manner.”

The allegations resolved by the settlement were initiated by a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act by former Anixter sales representative, William Jones. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens may sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in any recovery obtained by the government. Jones will receive $585,000 as his share of the government’s recovery.

This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch; and the CIA, Office of Inspector General. The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

Virginia Anesthesiologist Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Virginia Anesthesiologist Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns

Dr. George Anderson, 57, of Farmville, Va., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for criminal tax fraud, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, sitting in Richmond, Va., also ordered Anderson to pay $471,919 of restitution to the IRS.

 

Anderson had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of willfully filing false tax returns. According to the statement of facts filed with the court, Anderson was the sole owner of Farmville Anesthesia Associates Inc. Beginning in 2001, Anderson attempted to reduce his business’s tax liability to zero by diverting income to sham and nominee entities. Specifically, Anderson paid hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bogus expenses out of Farmville Anesthesia’s bank accounts to other accounts held in the names of nominee trusts and limited liability companies Anderson himself controlled.   He then falsely reported these payments on Farmville Anesthesia’s corporate income tax returns as legitimate business expenses. Later, Anderson spent substantial funds out of the nominee bank accounts for his personal benefit, including for the construction of his personal residence, and did not report the expenditures as income on his personal tax returns.

 

In his guilty plea, Anderson admitted that he filed a false 2007 corporate income tax return on behalf of Farmville Anesthesia Associates. That return was false because it reported the bogus expenses paid to Anderson-controlled sham entities. Anderson also admitted to filing a false 2005 personal income tax return. That return was false because it did not report the income Anderson spent for his benefit out of the bank accounts held in the names of the nominee trusts and LLCs.

 

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jonathan Marx of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Maguire of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mental Health Service Provider Sentenced to 48 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud

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11/13/2012

RICHMOND, Va. – Joseph T. Hackett, 32, of Asheville, N.C., was sentenced today to 48 months in prison, followed by a term of three years of supervised release, for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud. He also agreed to forfeit $1,570,041.60 and pay $1,570,041.60 in restitution to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, Attorney General of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Hackett pled guilty on August 13, 2012.

According to Court documents, Hackett owned and operated Access Regional Taskforce (“ART”), a Richmond-based Medicaid contracted provider of Intensive In-home Therapy Services for children and adolescents. Intensive In-home Therapy Services, one of the many mental health services offered by Medicaid in Virginia, are designed to assist youth and adolescents who are at risk of being removed from their homes, or are being returned to their homes after removal, because of significant mental health, behavioral, or emotional issues. Medicaid requires that Intensive In-home Therapy Service providers employ qualified mental health workers to provide a medically necessary service to at-risk children and adolescents.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Hackett acknowledged that, through ART, he billed Medicaid for services that were not reimbursable because the services did not address a child’s specific mental health issues, were not provided by qualified mental health workers, and were not provided to children who were in actual need of the offered service. Hackett acknowledged that Medicaid paid ART at least $1,570,041.60 that ART was not entitled to receive. In addition, he admitted in the statement of facts that Hackett paid Creed Xtreme Marketing Concepts, a.k.a. Creed Extreme Marketing, $545,410.00 for patient referrals. The owner of Creed, Lorie T. Monroe, was sentenced on June 12, 2012 to 37 months of imprisonment for receiving these referral payments.
The case was investigated by the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance. Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph E.H. Atkinson and Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Aber Brumberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.