Joel De La Torre, Making False Statements Concerning Highway Projects, Aggravated Identity Theft, North Carolina 2022

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Defective Bridge Parts Scandal: Chicago Man Sentenced to 35 Months in Prison

RALEIGH – A Chicago man has been sentenced to 35 months in federal prison for his role in the defective bridge parts scandal that affected North Carolina’s highway projects.

Joel De La Torre, 34, was sentenced to serve 35 months in federal prison on charges of Making False Statements Concerning Highway Projects, and Aggravated Identity Theft. The defendant was also ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release and to make restitution.

The investigation revealed that De La Torre had forged the name of a teenager on documents related to the bridge bearings, including a North Carolina application to supply the bearings to local contractors. The teenager was fraudulently held out as the vice president of Delgado Elastomeric Bearings Corporation, a company located in the Chicago area.

Inspectors discovered that the Chicago facility used to manufacture the bridge bearings did not contain the required testing devices and machinery, which would have revealed the defects in the bridge bearings. The North Carolina Department of Transportation began an investigation after a federal highway contractor discovered a defect in a grouping of elastomeric bridge bearings that had been shipped for use on bridges in North Carolina.

The bearings were defective because the steel plates were exposed, subjecting them to the elements and creating the potential for deterioration. In total, 1,270 of the shipped bearings were found to be nonconforming and defective. The bearings were shipped in connection with 25 different highway projects in North Carolina between May 2009 and October 2011.

The investigation also revealed that the costs associated with the replacement of the bearings are expected to exceed $5 million due to the difficulty in removing the bearings from beneath existing structures, engineering costs, and traffic control. Federal and state agencies have reported that there is no immediate threat to safety due to the faulty bearings, which will be monitored and replaced over time.

De La Torre’s brother, Santiago De La Torre, pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in the scheme and to perjury. His sentencing is presently scheduled for the court’s June 20, 2016 term.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the United States.