News

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Bhaskar Patel, 67, of Windermere, Florida, appeared today in federal district court in Rutland to answer to charges that, while employed by Schneider Electric Building Americas, he unlawfully solicited and accepted $2,536,119.19 in bribes and kickbacks associated with federal energy savings performance contracts (“ESPCs”) issued to Schneider Electric by various federal agencies.

Three Little Rock men pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent scheme that generated over $1 million in illicit profits by exploiting a government program designed to help distressed businesses.

Richard C. Davis, the founder and former president and CEO of Michigan-based Second Chance Body Armor, Inc., agreed to resolve claims under the False Claims Act in connection with his role in the sale of defective Zylon bullet-proof vests purchased by the United States for federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department announced today. Mr. Davis will relinquish his interest in $1.2 million in assets previously frozen by the United States and will pay an additional $125,000 to the United States.

Six defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing expensive cars from dealerships in three states, altering their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), and fraudulently obtaining new titles for the cars.

A New York man pleaded guilty today to committing government contracting fraud. According to court documents, Alter Stesel, aka Herman Stesel, aka Randy Stern, aka Henry Shtaiseel, 41, of Brooklyn, was a government contractor based in Brooklyn. Stesel and his company, A1 4 Electronics Inc., were placed in proposed debarment status by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for providing counterfeit goods and for a history of failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance on contracts.

An Athens, Alabama computer store owner has been charged with exploiting a government computer surplus program for his personal benefit. A federal grand jury today returned its indictment of Steven Mays, 50, of Athens, Ala. The indictment alleges that from 2007 to late 2017, Mays engaged in a scheme to defraud “Computers for Learning,” a program administered by the General Services Administration. The CFL program facilitated the transfer of computers and related equipment owned by the federal government but excess to its needs, directly to schools and some educational nonprofit organizations at no cost.

A retired soldier pleaded guilty today to receiving and selling stolen government property that had been initially delivered to at Fort Eustis.

A Missouri man pleaded guilty today to committing fraud to obtain millions of dollars in government contracts, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

On Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) will host an all-day conference to educate the public about the impact of the Inspector General Act of 1978 and the work of federal Inspectors General in the 40 years since passage of the Act. Discussion will feature distinguished speakers including Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and other Members of Congress, Inspectors General, academics, and others in the oversight community.

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger for the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced today that three defendants agreed to plead guilty to an Information charging them with federal crimes related to a long-term fraud scheme led by Brian L. Ganos involving government-funded contracts intended to benefit small businesses.