News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the former owner of a local construction company and a Kansas City, Mo., veteran were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a “rent-a-vet” scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $13.8 million in federal contracts.

St. Louis, MO – ICP Medical, a government contractor based in Earth City, Missouri, has signed a civil settlement agreement and paid $4,000,000 to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims for medical items to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Roy E. Friend, 52, of Newport News, was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for stealing government property.

CHICAGO — The owner of two recycling businesses was arrested today for allegedly operating a multi-million dollar fraud scheme involving the illegal landfilling or re-selling of potentially hazardous electronic waste.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – ThunderCat Technology, LLC, located in Reston, has agreed to pay $1 million to settle civil False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Act, and Procurement Integrity Act claims relating to bid rigging and kickback schemes in connection with six government procurements.

Alexander Robert Xavier, 52, of Boca Raton, Florida, was sentenced to twelve-and-a-half years in prison. Previously, a jury found Xavier guilty of defrauding federal agencies by issuing worthless bonds to insure government construction projects. U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra imposed the sentence and ordered Xavier to pay over $4 million in restitution to the victims of the fraud.

BOSTON – A previously convicted Chelmsford man has been ordered to forfeit more than $6.7 million in connection with his June 2016 conviction for recruiting veterans as figurehead owners of a construction company in order to receive specialized government contracts.

Michelle Cho, an officer of Far East Construction Corporation and other construction companies, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud. Cho also agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of $169,166 and pay a criminal fine in the amount of $35,000.

COEUR D’ALENE – Matt Eugene Ruck, 49, of Moscow, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court to 60 months in prison followed by 3 years supervised release for wire fraud and theft of government money, unlawful possession of firearms and making a false statement, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Ruck to pay $206,081.35 in restitution. In Ruck’s first case, a jury found him guilty of wire fraud and theft of government money in March of this year. In his second and third cases, Ruck pleaded guilty on August 23, 2016, to unlawful possession of firearms and making a false statement.

COEUR D’ALENE – William Douglas Brown, 72, of Moscow, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge to two years probation for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition and making a false statement, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Brown pleaded guilty in both cases on August 23, 2016.