United States Attorney's Office
Northern District of California
September 25, 2014
Former Top GSA Official Indicted for Fraud
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted Jeffrey Neely, a former high-ranking official with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), today on charges that he submitted fraudulent reimbursement claims and made false statements, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag and GSA Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge David House.
According to the indictment, Neely, 59, of Gardnerville, Nev., is alleged to have fraudulently sought reimbursement for personal travel and expenses – incurred in Las Vegas, Nev.; Long Beach, Calif.; Guam; and Saipan – by submitting false and fraudulent claims to the United States. The indictment further alleges that, when GSA employees questioned him about these expenses, Neely falsely represented that the costs were incurred for official government business. At the time of this conduct, Neely was the Regional Commissioner and Acting Regional Administrator for GSA’s Public Buildings Service, Pacific Rim Region, which encompasses California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and outlying territories.
Neely came under scrutiny as the top official overseeing an annual GSA conference in 2010. Allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse relating to this conference triggered a congressional inquiry and an investigation by GSA’s Office of Inspector General regarding conference spending as well as Neely’s own travel and expenditures.
The indictment includes three false claims counts, under 18 U.S.C. § 287, and two counts of making false statements and using false documents, under 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Neely is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on October 20, 2014, before the Honorable Elizabeth D. Laporte, United States Magistrate Court Judge.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000 for each violation. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Hartley M. K. West is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the GSA’s OIG.
Please note, an indictment contains only allegations and, as with all defendants, Jeffrey Neely must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: http://www.justice.gov/usao/can/news/2014/2014_09_25_neely.indicted.press.html
