Coweta County Man Sentenced for Illegally Obtaining Federal Contracts Reserved for Military Veterans
A Coweta County man has been sentenced to two years in prison for fraudulently obtaining several government construction contracts reserved for veterans with service-related disabilities.
Arthur W. Singleton, 63, of Coweta County, Ga., was sentenced to two years in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $181,000. On April 15, 2013, Singleton pleaded guilty to one count of making false documents.
According to United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Singleton owned a construction firm named ‘Singleton Enterprises’ and had over 30 years of experience in the construction industry. In 2007, Singleton approached a Vietnam veteran and advocated creating a business that would exploit the veteran’s disabled status to obtain federal government contracts that were reserved exclusively for companies owned and run by service-disabled veterans.
From September 2007 to September 2008, Singleton entered into contracts with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to perform construction work around the country. Singleton used the veteran’s status to bid on these contracts, knowing that he was ineligible for the contracts – given that the veteran performed no work for either company, did not have an ownership stake, and did not control the management or daily operations of either business.
In total, Singleton received over $1.5 million dollars from the fraudulently-obtained contracts. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), remains diligent in investigating matters such as these that defraud both the department and the taxpayer.
Special Agent-in-Charge Karen Citizen-Wilcox, USA-OSIG, said, ‘The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), remains diligent in investigating matters such as these that defraud both the department and the taxpayer.’
Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin, Southeast Field Office, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, said, ‘Aggressive investigative efforts through effective partnerships among several law enforcement agencies were key in bringing this defendant to justice.’
Inspector General Peggy E. Gustafson of the Small Business Administration said, ‘Federal contracts should never be awarded to persons who commit fraud to claim eligibility for contracts set-aside for our nation’s heroes. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their commitment to seek justice on behalf of the American taxpayer.’
Sentencing Date: April 15, 2013, in Newnan, Ga. Defendant: Arthur W. Singleton. Criminal Charges: One count of making false documents. Location: Coweta County, Ga. Sentence: Two years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $181,000.
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- Gary Patton Hall, Jr., Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Georgia 2010 · Georgia
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- Jackie Elvine, Health Care Fraud, Georgia 2014 · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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