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Four people have been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and major fraud against the United States in connection with a multi-million dollar construction contract in Florida.

The conspirators — Matthew West, Kevin Kutina, Roberto Gonzalez, and William Gonzalez — are accused of using Maxon Groupe, owned by service-disabled military veterans Roberto Gonzalez and William Gonzalez, to submit a fraudulent bid to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The indictment alleges that in July 2016, the federal agency issued a bid request for the construction of the Cancer Infusion Therapy Center at Bay Pines VA Medical Center in Pinellas County, Florida, according to a Department of Justice press release. The contract, valued between $5 million and $10 million, was set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

The indictments allege the foursome falsely represented that qualified employees from Kevcon, Inc., owned by Kutina, would serve in supervisory roles, failing to disclose Maxon’s pass-through role for West’s company, West Construction, Inc.

West Construction, Inc. was ineligible for a contract reserved for a service-disabled veteran-owned small business.

Between March 2017 and January 2019, the conspirators submitted invoices for payment, resulting in the U.S. Treasury paying Maxon approximately $4.8 million. Subsequently, around $4.2 million of those funds were transferred to West, with about $1.1 million being further transferred to Kevcon, according to law enforcement.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy and wire fraud charges, and a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for the major fraud against the United States count.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of at least $5 million, representing the proceeds of the alleged criminal conduct.

It’s hardly the only real estate-related fraud case in Florida. The Miami agent who the federal government said misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic relief money to lease her white Bentley Bentayga, rent a luxury apartment, refinish her designer shoes and have cosmetic procedures was sentenced to prison in August.

Daniela Rendon was indicted in February on two counts of money laundering, seven counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. In April she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. The other charges were dismissed.

She was sentenced to three years and five months in prison, followed by three years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $200,000 in restitution.

Rendon allegedly falsified her revenue, payroll and IRS tax forms on fraudulent applications for Covid-19 federal relief funds to the Small Business Administration and Paycheck Protection Program during the pandemic.

The post Four indicted for $5M Florida fraud in VA construction scandal appeared first on The Real Deal.

A Wisconsin couple pleaded guilty to a contractor fraud scheme that spanned the state.

Tyler Hansen, 52, of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges related to the scam, while Tyler’s wife, Jennifer Hansen, 43, also entered a guilty plea for money laundering connected to her involvement in the same enterprise, the Department of Justice said in a press release. 

Tyler Hansen’s fraudulent activities occurred between October 2020 and September 2022, when he operated a home improvement business under various names, including Weathersealed Wisconsin and EcoView Windows of South-Central Wisconsin.

He engaged in a wire fraud scheme by entering into contracts with customers for home improvement projects like windows, sunrooms, bathroom remodels, roofs, and doors. Upon signing these contracts, customers were required to make a 50 percent down payment, which Tyler Hansen falsely claimed would be used to purchase building materials. Instead, he diverted the funds for personal expenses, police said.

Both Tyler and Jennifer Hansen participated in a money laundering conspiracy to conceal the down payments, the DOJ said. 

They used multiple business and personal bank accounts, including those at Fort Community Credit Union, to deposit customer down payment checks. They then transferred the funds to personal accounts, making it difficult for clients to receive refunds and disguising the true nature of the money.

For the wire fraud charge, Tyler Hansen faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the same maximum penalty applies to the money laundering charge. Sentencing hearings have been scheduled for Dec. 19 for Tyler Hansen and Dec. 13 for Jennifer Hansen.

Brazen real estate-related fraud pleas aren’t limited to Wisconsin as of late.

Late last month, Robert Kennedy, a former Boston-area police officer, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding one of those landlords by providing false information during the tenant screening process and intentionally withholding rent payments, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

During the rental application process, Kennedy provided the landlord with the date of birth and social security number of a relative who shared his first and last name, concealing Kennedy’s sketchy credit history of collections, delinquent payments, defaults and evictions.

The landlord, based on the false information Kennedy provided, approved the application and allowed Kennedy to move in.

In addition to his first month’s rent and security deposit checks bouncing, Kennedy immediately began withholding rent payments, even though he made between $141,000 and $187,000 a year as a detective sergeant with the Stoneham Police Department. Kennedy lived in that apartment for four months, rent-free, by taking advantage of the slow eviction process, the release said.

The post Contractor couple pleads guilty in fraudulent home improvement scheme appeared first on The Real Deal.