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.

Hill ASC Inc., doing business as Hill Associates, of Rockville, Maryland, agreed to pay at least $14.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act in connection with a General Services Administration contract for information technology services.

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.

The owner of a fuel truck supply company was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to 3 months in prison and a $24,000 fine for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an 8-year period.

John Washburn, general manager of San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings in El Cajon, pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in a pattern or practice of hiring undocumented immigrants without authorization to work.

The General Services Administration Office of Inspector General is aware that bad actors have used fake websites to steal user login credentials - such as username and password - for federal websites to commit fraud.

The former owner of fuel truck supply companies was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to 12 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his leadership role in conspiracies to monopolize, rig bids, and allocate territories for fuel truck contracts that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west. The conduct lasted at least eight years.

LED Lighting Solutions, LLC and its owner, Thomas DeSantos, of Berlin, Connecticut, entered into a $300,000 civil settlement agreement with the United States to resolve allegations that they failed to comply with the requirements of the Buy American Act and the Trade Agreements Act by selling foreign end products to several government procuring agencies, including by shipping products directly from China to a procuring agency, in violation of the False Claims Act.

NORESCO, LLC, a government contractor headquartered in Westborough, Mass., has agreed to a $9,585,141 settlement to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by overcharging numerous federal agencies for energy improvements in connection with 29 federally-funded energy savings performance contracts.

A Mt. Airy, Maryland, man pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a U.S. General Services Administration official, wire fraud in connection with an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and possession of a machine gun with an obliterated serial number.

Varidesk, LLC and Vari Sales Corporation, two Texas companies that do business under the name VARI, have agreed to pay $1,100,000 to resolve allegations that VARI violated the False Claims Act by failing to give the United States matching price discounts VARI provided to other customers as required by VARI’s contract with GSA, while falsely representing to the United States that VARI had complied with those contractual requirements.

Booz Allen Hamilton agreed to pay $422,557 to settle allegations that an employee working on a GSA contract overreported his time resulting in invoices for services under the contract that were not performed.

John Washburn, general manager of San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings in El Cajon, and three employees, made their first appearances in federal court today to face immigration charges stemming from a search warrant that was served by federal agents at the property yesterday.

On March 26, 2024, Monika D. Schorer, 59, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, and Teresa Schorer, 59, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud before the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Judge in the United States District Court at Greeneville.

The owner of a contractor company that provided fuel truck services to the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire fighters pleaded guilty to a seven-count indictment for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period.

MORSECORP, Inc., of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegations that MORSE violated the False Claims Act by failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in its contracts with the Departments of the Army and Air Force.

According to court documents, Deyvis Hernandez and his co-conspirators worked together to install skimmers on gas pumps, including gas stations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Northern Florida. The conspirators used the skimmers to illegally obtain credit and debit card account numbers involved with the purchase of fuel by customers at the gas pump.

A Washington, D.C., man pleaded guilty to bribing a U.S. General Services Administration official.

Andrew Chaves, 25, of Washington, DC, was sentenced to 2 years in prison to be followed by 1 year of of supervised release. Chaves previously pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.

R&K Enterprises Inc. (R&K), headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, has agreed to pay over $2.6 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act and the common law that the company represented that it was a small business eligible for certain small business set-aside contracts when it did not meet the program rules to qualify as a small business.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is spearheading a new, interagency Supply Chain Oversight and Procurement Enforcement Task Force to ensure supply chain integrity and prevent procurement fraud.

Johnny Buscema Jr. of New Port Richey, Florida, and his companies, S.A.F.E. Structure Designs, based in Las Vegas, and U.S.A. Manufacturing, based in New Port Richey, have agreed to pay $1,000,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by causing a prime vendor for the Defense Logistics Agency to submit fraudulent contract bids that resulted in Department of Defense customers being overcharged for goods and related services purchased under those contracts.

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation has agreed to pay the United States $15,875,000 to resolve allegations that Booz Allen Hamilton Engineering Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Booz Allen, violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting fraudulent claims to the United States in connection with a General Services Administration task order to supply computer military training simulators and systems to Department of Defense agencies, including the Air Force.

Luis Edel Trujillo Pena of Miami has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. According to court documents, Pena and his co-conspirators worked together to install skimmers on gas pumps at gas stations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Northern Florida, including the Florida Panhandle.

Gen Digital Inc. (formerly known as Symantec Corp.), located in Tempe, Arizona, paid $55.1 million to satisfy a judgment, concluding a decade of False Claims Act litigation. The judgment required the company to pay $16.1 million in damages and $36.8 million in civil penalties, plus post-judgment interest and costs.

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) commemorated the PCSF’s fifth anniversary in Washington with a celebration involving law enforcement partners and key stakeholders from across the government.

The GSA Office of Inspector General is aware of continued scams involving disguised or “spoofed” email addresses that target small businesses and large businesses, including federal contractors registered in SAM.gov.

Dell Technologies Inc. and Dell Federal Systems L.P. have agreed to pay $2.3 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting and causing the submission of non-competitive bids to the Army and thereby overcharging the Army under the Army Desktop and Mobile Computing 3 contract. Iron Bow Technologies LLC also agreed to pay $2.05 million for its role in the scheme.

Yuksel Senbol, 36, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, violating the Export Control Reform Act, and violating the Arms Export Control Act.

Deonelky Tabares Cid has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud, six counts of access device fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

A Maryland woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for conspiracy to defraud the government of thousands of dollars between 2014 to 2018.

Charges have been unsealed as part of a larger enforcement action related to the unlawful distribution of nearly 70 million opioid pills and over 30 million doses of other commonly abused prescription drugs to alleged Houston-area pill-mill pharmacies.

Three San Antonio family members conspired together to defraud the United States by eliminating competition and fixing contract awards and prices on contracts for the housekeeping and janitorial services at Army hospitals and medical centers.

An Uxbridge man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for conspiring to defraud the government of thousands of dollars between 2014 to 2018.

Avantor, Inc., based in Radnor, PA, has agreed to pay a total of $5.325 million to resolve multiple alleged violations of federal law.

On July 30, we join agencies across the federal government in celebrating National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former Defense Department contractor from St. Charles County, Missouri to five years of probation and fined him $50,000 for illegally obtaining parts for the military overseas.

A California woman pleaded guilty today to devising a multi-year scheme to defraud the U.S. government by submitting fake invoices for supplies that were never purchased and converting the stolen funds for her personal use.

United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging five individuals with conspiracy, 4 counts of wire fraud, 15 counts of access device fraud, and 3 counts of aggravated identity theft.

Sean O’Sullivan, age 61, of Sackets Harbor, New York, was sentenced to 2 years of probation and ordered to pay $345,271.34 in restitution to the United States after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to government contracts and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States by offering and giving gratuities to a former Fort Drum contracting officer.

Yuksel Senbol, 36, of Orlando, pleaded guilty to 25 felony counts in Florida federal court, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, seven counts of money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), four counts of violating the ECRA, and one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act.

A Florida resident and dual citizen of the United States and Turkey was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison for running an enormous operation over many years to traffic in fraudulent and counterfeit Cisco networking equipment.

The guilty plea reflects Aventura’s long-running, lucrative scheme to purchase Chinese-made security equipment and resell it as U.S.-made, including to multiple agencies of the U.S. government, branches of the military and to customers overseas in the public and private sectors.

A Washington State man was sentenced to federal prison today for knowingly and intentionally marketing and selling low-quality ballistic protective equipment produced in China to dozens of domestic law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Military.

A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment charging a Kansas couple with fraudulently obtaining disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

An Oklahoma man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after hacking a government auction website and purchasing vehicles and jewelry for $1, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

A Defense Department contractor from St. Charles County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted illegally obtaining parts for the military overseas, undercutting domestic suppliers.

QuarterLine Consulting Services, LLC, and its parent company, Planned Systems International, Inc., agreed to pay $3.9 million to resolve allegations that QuarterLine made false statements about its women-owned small business (WOSB) status to obtain a Defense Health Agency task order that was set aside for WOSBs to provide physicians to an Air Force military treatment facility.

On January 25, 2024, Eric S. Smith, 54, currently of Bristol, Virginia, and Landon Chester, 36, currently of Johnson City, Tennessee, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud before the Honorable Clifton L. Corker.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Andrew Chaves, 24, of Washington, D.C., was arraigned yesterday in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. A federal grand jury sitting in Burlington, Vermont returned a one-count indictment on January 18, 2024, alleging that Chaves retained and concealed a stolen U.S. Forest Service vehicle.

A company located in Chantilly has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle civil fraud allegations that it and its subsidiaries improperly obtained government contracts that were set-aside for small businesses.

London Bridge Trading Company, Ltd. has agreed to pay nearly $2.1 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it failed to comply with the requirements of the Buy American Act, Trade Agreements Act, and Berry Amendment when selling textile-based products to the Department of Defense.