Michael Uszakiwicz, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Connecticut 2018

A brazen bribery scheme in Connecticut has come to light, with a Prospect man pleading guilty to a conspiracy offense.

Michael Uszakiwicz, 52, owner of K&M Fire Protection in Southington, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday in New Haven federal court to a conspiracy offense related to a bribery scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Uszakiwicz and other contractors paid a total of $250,000 to $500,000 in bribes to Javed Choudhry, who was employed by Building and Land Technology, Inc. ('BLT'), a construction company in the Stamford area, between approximately 2011 and 2014. This illicit arrangement allowed them to receive millions of dollars in BLT contracts on construction projects in Stamford.

Uszakiwicz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford on July 9, 2018.

As part of his guilty plea, Uszakiwicz agreed to forfeit $1,121,106, which was seized from his bank accounts on March 28, 2016.

Uszakiwicz is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.

Choudhry, of Glastonbury, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return on May 16, 2017. Kevin Dunn, the president of Delmar Electrical Contractors in Watertown, admitted that he also paid bribes to Choudhry and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on January 22, 2018. Both await sentencing.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/prospect-man-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-offense-related-bribery-scheme