$4.35M DBE/Small Business Fraud Settlement

12 May

On April 30, 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York entered into a civil settlement agreement with Northland Associates, Inc. (Northland); JDS Construction (JDS); James Tyler, co-owner and president of Northland/JDS; and the Diverse Construction Group, LLC (Diverse). The four defendants agreed to pay a total of $4.35 million to resolve civil False Claims Act …

Feds charge SF Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru with fraud

28 Jan

Federal authorities charged San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and high-profile restaurateur Nick Bovis with fraud Tuesday following a public corruption probe. The schemes involved an envelope of cash, fraudulent city contracts, improper gifts from a Chinese developer and a $2,000 bottle of wine, according to authorities. To read more, click here.

Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Prison for DBE Fraud Scheme

06 Nov

On November 6, 2019, Stamatios “Tom” Kousisis was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to 70 months’ imprisonment, 36 months’ supervised release, and $18,600 in fines and fees for his role in a multimillion dollar Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) fraud scheme. In August 2018, Kousisis, and his employer, Alpha Painting and Construction, Inc. (Alpha), were found guilty of wire …

New York Painting Contractor Settles DBE Fraud Allegations

31 Oct

On October 31, 2019, Ahern Paining Contractors, Inc. (Ahern), of Woodside, New York, entered into a civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York. Ahern agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations of fraud connected to contracted work on two DOT-funded public works projects: the Federal Highway Administration–funded Brooklyn Bridge Rehabilitation Project and the …