Two former employees of a Brooklyn-based non-profit, Gary DSilva, also known as Pankaj DSilva, Jonathan Velazquez and Luis A. Camarena, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery and money laundering, as well as substantive counts of wire fraud and federal-program bribery, for their roles in a yearslong kickback scheme in New York.
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging the defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery and money laundering, as well as substantive counts of wire fraud and federal-program bribery for their roles in the alleged crime.
Defendant Gary DSilva, also known as Pankaj DSilva, Jonathan Velazquez and Luis A. Camarena were arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
According to the indictment, DSilva and Velazquez were employed in the Management Information Systems department of a Brooklyn-based non-profit entity (the Organization) that supplied a number of services to indigent New Yorkers, including administering multiple homeless shelters. DSilva and Velazquez, as part of their work for the Organization, were responsible for soliciting vendors to complete various projects involving information technology.
The Vendor ultimately received approximately $1.6 million in payments from the Organization for work related to these security-camera projects from approximately 2017 to 2021. During that same period, the Vendor paid a total of over $500,000 in kickbacks to DSilva and Velazquez. These illegal payments took the form of payments to credit cards in the names of DSilva and Velazquez and their spouses and payments to shell companies registered to DSilva’s spouse. In one email obtained during the investigation, Camarena, DSilva, and Velazquez discussed how they would divide the “profit” from the business the Vendor received from the Organization among themselves.
The charges highlight the brazen nature of the kickback scheme, according to Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “When corrupt employees siphon public funds to line their own pockets, the neediest New Yorkers bear the brunt. My Office will relentlessly pursue those who try to compromise the integrity of our community organizations,” he added. The FBI will also continue to investigate and prosecute individuals who engage in corrupt activities that deprive the public of vital resources.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s New York Field Office, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI). The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is assigned to United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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