Michael Albert Clark, James Todd Edwards, Public Corruption, Virginia 2023

Former Contractors Plead Guilty in Bristol Virginia Utilities Authority Corruption Probe

ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – In a significant development in the ongoing corruption probe of the Bristol Virginia Utilities Authority (BVU), two former contractors have pleaded guilty to federal crimes.

Michael Albert Clark, 63, of Colbert, Georgia, and James Todd Edwards, 45, of Columbia, South Carolina, waived their right to be indicted and pleaded guilty to federal crimes associated with their individual roles in schemes to provide fake invoices and pay kickbacks to BVU officials.

According to evidence presented in court, Edwards, CEO of Edwards Telecommunications Inc., a privately held corporation that worked as a contractor for BVU, embarked on a scheme to defraud BVU with his then-Vice President of Field Operations, Robert James Kelley Jr. Edwards caused a number of false invoices to be submitted to Kelley Jr. for work not actually completed by ETI. Kelley Jr. approved these false invoices for payment knowing they contained false information. Edwards paid Kelley Jr. at least $160,000 in kickbacks. In addition, Edwards paid $40,000 in kickbacks to David Copeland, another former VP of Field Operations for BVU.

Clark, who performed contract work for BVU from January 2000 to March 2015, submitted false invoices to Kelley Jr. for work not actually completed. Specifically, Clark submitted invoices in regards to his consulting business, R&M Consulting. These false invoices resulted in at least $110,065 in fraudulent billing by Clark to the BVU. Kelley Jr. approved these invoices knowing that the invoices contained false information. He approved these invoices because he was being paid kickbacks by Clark.

At sentencing, Edwards faces a maximum possible penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. Clark faces a maximum possible penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Lee will prosecute the case for the United States.

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