Nathaniel P. Lorenz, Bridge Contract Fraud, NY

ALBANY, NEW YORK — A state contractor is facing federal charges for allegedly running a shell-game fraud that stole more than $1.1 million from New York bridge maintenance contracts. Nathaniel P. Lorenz, age 46, of Holley, New York, was arraigned today on 8 counts of wire fraud and 1 count of mail fraud, accused of submitting fake invoices to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to cover up that he never bought the materials required for critical infrastructure work.

According to the indictment, Lorenz’s company, ACME Powerwashing Inc. (ACME) of Holley, New York, was paid $1,139,119.74 for sealing concrete bridge decks across three state contracts in 2015 and 2016. The Federal Highway Administration funded most of the work. Instead of purchasing the proper chemical sealants to protect the bridges from deterioration, Lorenz allegedly forged invoices showing purchases from S.E. Brett, Inc. — a second company he owned that sells no products.

The fraud targeted a crucial safety process: cleaning and sealing bridge decks to prevent water and chloride penetration, which can lead to structural decay. Contracts required ACME to buy specific volumes of sealant based on surface area treated. Lorenz’s scheme falsely documented compliance while bypassing material costs entirely, leaving infrastructure potentially vulnerable and taxpayers on the hook.

On the same three contracts, NYSDOT paid ACME an additional $759,022.64 for bridge washing and other services. The company has been a state contractor since 2010. Investigators say the paper trail was deliberately falsified to mimic legitimate procurement, but no actual sealant purchases matching the invoices were ever made.

Lorenz appeared in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel and was released pending trial. He is scheduled to face Senior United States District Judge Norman A. Mordue in Syracuse. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and possible restitution to federal and state agencies.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General (USDOT-OIG), NYSDOT’s Investigations Bureau, and the Office of the New York State Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett is prosecuting. The charges are accusations; Lorenz is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.