News

Arturo Vargas, 55, a businessman from El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to participating in a fraudulent scheme to defraud the United States out of millions of dollars through contracts involving the now defunct Big Crow Program Office at Kirtland Air Force Base in Bernalillo County, N.M.

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger announced today that Nicholas Rivecca, Sr., of Hartland, Wisconsin, and his company, Sonag Ready Mix, LLC, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have agreed to pay $629,732 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by defrauding the United States Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (“DBE”) program.

A Tennessee man has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for major fraud against the United States. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) continues a year-long effort to educate the public about, and commemorate the impact of, the Inspector General Act of 1978 and the work of federal Inspectors General (IG) in the 40 years since passage of the Act. As part of this effort, the IG community will host a series of events this fall across the country.

A former operator of a local construction company, Patriot Company, Inc., was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a “rent-a-vet” scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $13.7 million in federal contracts.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Gregory Ciego, age 35, of Drums, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on August 17, 2018, to a criminal information charging him with theft of government property.

On August 6, 2018, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Wellco Enterprises, Inc. (Wellco), and Tactical Holdings Operations, Inc. (Tactical Holdings), Vincent Lee Ferguson, 66, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge, to serve 41 months in federal prison for his role in a wire fraud conspiracy.

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.