Billy Joe West, 57, of Las Vegas, has been charged with accepting bribes in exchange for falsifying drug test results sent to the U.S. Probation Office, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI.
According to the complaint, West was an employee at WestCare Nevada, Inc., a federal contractor that conducted court-ordered urinalysis drug testing of supervisees on federal probation and supervised release. West’s responsibilities included administering that drug testing.
The complaint alleges that West devised a scheme to solicit and accept payments from supervisees in exchange for reporting a false negative drug test to the U.S. Probation Office. During January and February 2020, in exchange for $400 in cash bribes, West helped an individual falsify drug testing results on at least three occasions. On the first two occasions, West received $400 in exchange for reporting a negative drug test even though the individual was not tested.
“Employees of federal contractors must put the public interest over their own self interests,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “Our law enforcement partners and our office will continue to investigate violations of the public trust.”
“Obstructing justice by accepting bribes in exchange for false reporting is unacceptable,” said Special Agent in Charge Rouse. “The FBI will use every resource available to assist our law enforcement partners in holding individuals accountable for their actions.”
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts on April 13, 2020.
If convicted, West faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the honest services wire fraud charge.
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Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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