United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced on April 23rd, 2019 that Thomas Brock, age 62, of Camden, South Carolina, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
According to information presented during his guilty plea and sentencing, Brock was involved in a decade-long scheme to defraud the government in the acquisition of military construction contracts. Under programs instituted by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), certain military and federal government contracts are specifically set aside for award to minorities, women, and service veterans. These programs are intended to provide small businesses with an opportunity for growth and experience working through the federal government.
Brock was an executive with Boykin Contracting and used various straw-owners within the company to pose as a female, an African-American, a disabled person, and a veteran in order to qualify for over $160 million dollars’ worth of these government construction contracts. Based on information presented in court, Brock illegally acquired the contracts and siphoned money from the company to support a lavish lifestyle. The scheme fell apart when Brock fraudulently acquired loans to cover the company’s losses and fell behind on the repayments, prompting a civil lawsuit and a criminal investigation.
Continue reading at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/former-company-executive-sentenced-over-four-years-federal-prison-construction-fraud
