A Guilford contractor has been sentenced to prison for submitting false claims to the U.S. Postal Service.
Marcel Van Wolvelaerd, 63, of Guilford, was sentenced on December 12, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to six months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for submitting false documents to the U.S. Postal Service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Van Wolvelaerd owns and operates CableComm, LLC. From approximately 2007 through 2014, the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) contracted with CableComm to perform repair and maintenance work at various USPS facilities. In 2017, Van Wolvelaerd sought payment on certain repair and maintenance work done in Connecticut. Prior to making payment, the USPS requested that Van Wolvelaerd show proof of his costs. In response, Van Wolvelaerd submitted to the USPS a certified claim that included several invoices detailing his costs, including three false invoices from an electric company. Two of the invoices falsely inflated CableComm’s costs, and the third was entirely fictitious.
The investigation also revealed that Van Wolvelaerd provided Robert Giulietti, a USPS facilities project manager, with $59,000 in cash in exchange for CableComm’s receiving USPS contracts.
Van Wolvelaerd pleaded guilty to one count of submitting false claims to the U.S. Postal Service. In February 2014, Giulietti pleaded guilty to bribery, fraud and tax offenses. On May 30, 2014, he was sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay $882,064 in restitution and $291,026 in back taxes, interest and penalties.
Van Wolvelaerd, who is released on a $20,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on January 3, 2019.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General supported the Postal Service by aggressively investigating allegations of misconduct within the contracting process, working hand-in-hand with the United States Attorney’s Office to help ensure a reasonable case-related resolution.
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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