BAY CITY, Michigan – In a shocking turn of events, Anthony Thelen, current co-owner and executive of Surveying Solutions Inc. (SSI), and Adam Ball, a former owner and executive of SSI, have pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
According to court documents, Thelen and Ball, along with their co-defendants Jeffrey Bartlett, Brian Bartlett, and Andrew Semenchuk, owned and operated SSI, a surveying company that was directly or indirectly awarded millions of dollars in highway construction contracts by MDOT. Those contracts were funded almost entirely by federal funds through USDOT.
From approximately February 2011 through July 2019, the group engaged in fraudulent overbilling, resulting in MDOT making millions of dollars of overpayments to SSI. A large portion of these overpayments were distributed among Thelen, Ball, and their co-defendants.
The fraudulent overbilling included reporting false and non-existent employee and information technology costs, reporting improper and inflated equipment and real property lease costs, and concealing the true ownership of and control over the SSI entities to justify the overbillings.
Under the terms of the non-prosecution agreement, SSI has agreed to enter into an enhanced compliance program, report to the government regarding remediation and implementation of their enhanced compliance program, and pay $1.1 million in a monetary penalty. If SSI satisfies the terms of the agreement, the company will not be charged criminally.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen L. Reyolds, T. Patrick Martin, William Vailliencourt, and K. Craig Welkener.
The plea hearings for Thelen and Ball were held on July 28, 2025. Thelen and Ball pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. The defendants’ co-defendants, Jeffrey Bartlett, Brian Bartlett, and Andrew Semenchuk, also pleaded guilty on the same date.
The United States Attorney’s Office reached this agreement with SSI based on numerous factors, including the fact that SSI cooperated with federal agencies investigating the case and that the company has implemented extensive remedial measures, including reorganizing under new management, and establishing a compliance program to detect and prevent similar fraud in the future.
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Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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