News

A former active-duty Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force pleaded guilty yesterday to fraudulently inflating the cost of information technology contracts for the U.S. Pacific Air Forces by at least $37 million — and using the excess funds to enrich himself, enrich co-conspirators, and channel bribes to a federal public official whom the conspirators nicknamed “Godfather.”

A former GSA contracting officer’s representative pleaded guilty for his role in agreeing to accept bribes from construction companies.

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday charging a former senior manager at a Virginia-based government contractor with major government fraud, wire fraud, and obstructing federal audits for allegedly carrying out a multi-year scheme to mislead federal agencies about the security of a cloud-based platform used by the U.S. Army and other government customers.

El Cajon-based San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings and the company’s hiring manager, Karli Buxton, pleaded guilty in federal court to engaging in a pattern or practice of hiring undocumented immigrants without authorization to work in the United States.

A federal grand jury in Denver returned an indictment on August 21, 2025, charging two Denver-area companies and the companies’ top executives for defrauding the federal government on sales of forklifts and conspiring to avoid paying proper tariffs on forklifts imported into the United States.

The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is aware that scammers may have recently spoofed GSA OIG phone numbers, making it appear that calls are coming from a government agency.

Sanford Federal, Inc. and its owner, Joseph Mandour, agreed to pay $3,100,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act in their acquisition and performance of 49 government contracts across the United States and involving multiple Federal agencies.

On July 30, the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General joins its fellow oversight agencies in celebrating National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.

On July 23, 2025, the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville sentenced Monika D. Schorer, 59, of Jonesborough, TN, and Teresa D. Schorer, 59, of Jonesborough, TN, each to a term of imprisonment of eight months and a $10,000 fine.

Berg Companies, Inc. has agreed to pay $3.3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting, or causing the submission of, false claims under prime vendor contracts with the Defense Logistics Agency, which the Department of Defense uses to purchase goods and services.