News

The former owner of fuel truck supply companies was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to 12 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his leadership role in conspiracies to monopolize, rig bids, and allocate territories for fuel truck contracts that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west. The conduct lasted at least eight years.

LED Lighting Solutions, LLC and its owner, Thomas DeSantos, of Berlin, Connecticut, entered into a $300,000 civil settlement agreement with the United States to resolve allegations that they failed to comply with the requirements of the Buy American Act and the Trade Agreements Act by selling foreign end products to several government procuring agencies, including by shipping products directly from China to a procuring agency, in violation of the False Claims Act.

NORESCO, LLC, a government contractor headquartered in Westborough, Mass., has agreed to a $9,585,141 settlement to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by overcharging numerous federal agencies for energy improvements in connection with 29 federally-funded energy savings performance contracts.

A Mt. Airy, Maryland, man pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a U.S. General Services Administration official, wire fraud in connection with an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and possession of a machine gun with an obliterated serial number.

Varidesk, LLC and Vari Sales Corporation, two Texas companies that do business under the name VARI, have agreed to pay $1,100,000 to resolve allegations that VARI violated the False Claims Act by failing to give the United States matching price discounts VARI provided to other customers as required by VARI’s contract with GSA, while falsely representing to the United States that VARI had complied with those contractual requirements.

Booz Allen Hamilton agreed to pay $422,557 to settle allegations that an employee working on a GSA contract overreported his time resulting in invoices for services under the contract that were not performed.

John Washburn, general manager of San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings in El Cajon, and three employees, made their first appearances in federal court today to face immigration charges stemming from a search warrant that was served by federal agents at the property yesterday.

On March 26, 2024, Monika D. Schorer, 59, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, and Teresa Schorer, 59, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud before the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Judge in the United States District Court at Greeneville.

The owner of a contractor company that provided fuel truck services to the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire fighters pleaded guilty to a seven-count indictment for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period.

MORSECORP, Inc., of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegations that MORSE violated the False Claims Act by failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in its contracts with the Departments of the Army and Air Force.