Fitzgerald Sentenced for Kickback Scheme, Billing Fraud

Washington, D.C. – Former investment banking vice president John T. Fitzgerald was sentenced to two years in prison for orchestrating a multi-million-dollar kickback scheme and fraudulent billing.

Fitzgerald, 48, pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges of wire fraud and tax evasion, admitting his involvement in the schemes that defrauded his employer out of over $1.3 million.

The disgraced executive, who once supervised real estate development projects like Station Ridge in Hanover, Md., admitted to invoicing work he did not complete and funneling proceeds to himself through a kickback arrangement with Bryan D. Wright, president of P&E Services, LLC.

Wright, 55, of Laytonsville, Md., also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and money laundering.

In addition to the prison term, Fitzgerald must pay $713,806 in restitution and $114,411 in back taxes. He will also be on supervised release for three years after his sentence, during which he is required to perform 500 hours of community service.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alessio Evangelista and the FBI’s Washington Field Office hailed Fitzgerald’s sentencing as a victory against corporate corruption, recognizing the efforts of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation in bringing the case to justice.