Dec. 10, 2019

Defense Contractor Admits Filing False Documents Relating to Machine Gun Contract

The former chief operating officer of a New Jersey custom manufacturing firm admitted today that he made false statements and submitted false documents to the Department of Defense in fulfillment of a machine gun bipod assembly contract, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced. Mark Colello, 54, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William Martini in Newark federal court to an information charging him with two counts of making false statements and representations.

Dec. 9, 2019

Four South Florida Residents and Jet Link, Inc. Sentenced for Roles in Aircraft Parts Fraud Scheme

On Friday, December 6, 2019, the last of four South Florida residents was sentenced to prison in connection with the operation of Jet Link, Inc., an aircraft parts broker in Margate, Florida.

Dec. 9, 2019

Former DOD Subcontractor Facing Federal Indictment for Allegedly Submitting False Claims for Hours Worked

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Melissa Heyer, age 44, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, with submitting false claims to the United States, specifically for claiming to have worked hours on a government contract when she allegedly was not at work. The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Teresa A. Moses, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)-Office of Inspector General (OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr., of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service -Mid-Atlantic Field Office.

Dec. 4, 2019

Defense Contractor Agrees to Pay $45 Million to Resolve Criminal Obstruction Charges and Civil False Claims Act Allegations

Unitrans International Inc. (Unitrans), a privately held Virginia defense contracting company, has agreed to pay $45 million to resolve criminal obstruction charges and civil False Claims Act allegations relating to the illegal transportation of goods across Iran in connection with a contract to provide material and logistical support to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Dec. 3, 2019

Department of Justice Announces Indictment Charging Russians, Italians and Others With Attempting to Evade Security Sanctions

A newly unsealed superseding indictment has charged Russian and Italian nationals, a U.S. citizen and various companies in a conspiracy to evade international trade sanctions. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia unsealed the superseding indictment on Dec. 2, 2019, charging two Russian nationals, two Italian nationals, a U.S. citizen, and various companies with violating and conspiring the violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA), conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Nov. 26, 2019

Laboratory to Pay $26.67 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Illegal Inducements to Referring Physicians

Laboratory Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation (Boston Heart), of Framingham, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay $26.67 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations involving payments for patient referrals in violation of the AntiKickback Statute and the Stark Law, as well as claims otherwise improperly billed to federal healthcare programs for laboratory testing, the Department of Justice announced today.

Nov. 25, 2019

Chicago And Tennessee Man Convicted For Veteran's Unemployment Compensation Fraud

The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Earl Lafayette Hall, Ill, age 38, previously of Chicago and Arlington, Tennessee, was convicted on Friday, November 22, 2019, by a federal jury on 2 counts of conspiracy, 12 counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of money laundering, and 4 counts of aggravated identity theft.

Nov. 21, 2019

Two Charged in Scheme to Impersonate U.S. Officials and Defraud Iraqis

Two U.S. citizens residing in Iraq were charged in two separate indictments yesterday for their alleged participation in schemes to defraud Iraqi companies out of millions of dollars by impersonating U.S. officials.

Nov. 13, 2019

ABS Development Corporation Agrees to Pay $2.8 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations and to Waive Administrative Claims

The Department of Justice has announced that ABS Development Corporation (ABS) has agreed to pay $2.8 million and give up $16 million in potential administrative claims to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently obtaining a foreign military sales contract reserved for American companies. ABS, a Delaware corporation based in New York, is a subsidiary of Ashtrom International, Ltd. of Israel.

Nov. 7, 2019

Aventura Technologies, Inc. and its Senior Management Charged with Fraud, Money Laundering and Illegal Importation of Equipment Manufactured in China

A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging surveillance and security equipment company Aventura Technologies, Inc. (Aventura), located in Commack, New York, and seven current and former employees with selling Chinese-made equipment with known cybersecurity vulnerability to government and private customers while falsely representing that the equipment was made in the United States and concealing that the products were manufactured in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Aventura has generated more than $88 million in sales revenue since November 2010, and the charged scheme has been ongoing since 2006.