Richard Ross Hyde, Lying to Defense Department, Texas 2019

A Fort Worth man has been sentenced to over four-and-a-half years in federal prison for lying to the U.S. government about the metal used inside his company’s aircraft parts.

Richard Ross Hyde, the 64-year-old owner of Vista Manufacturing Company, pleaded guilty in August 2019 to making a false claim against the United States.

Hyde was sentenced Thursday to 55 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, according to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

The charges stem from a 2014 bid submitted to the government for providing critical parts for a Naval Air Warfare Center aircraft. Vista Manufacturing included a diagram noting measurements, specifications, and descriptions of the materials required for production – notably, aluminum alloy 2024.

However, despite the fact that the company's contract with the Navy required them to use aluminum alloy 2024, Hyde accepted an offer from a different manufacturer to produce the parts with aluminum alloy 6061 for $8,492. He invoiced the DOD’s Defense Financing and Accounting Services for $12,897.50 and received the full payment on February 4, 2015.

A subsequent examination of the parts revealed that the metal used to manufacture the wiper back retainers did not match the diagram on Vista's bid. Testing revealed that Hyde's company had substituted the 6061 alloy for the 2024 alloy – rendering his bid false.

The U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Logistics Agency; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Army Criminal Investigative Division's Major Procurement Fraud Unit; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the Defense Contract Management Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Bradford prosecuted the case.

Hyde's sentence is a result of his admission to making a false claim against the United States. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of honesty in business dealings with the government.

Facts of the case include:

• Defendant: Richard Ross Hyde
• Criminal charges: Making a false claim against the United States
• City and state: Fort Worth, Texas
• Date: August 2019 (plea), February 4, 2015 (crime date)
• Sentence: 55 months in federal prison
• Dollar amount: $12,897.50

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/fort-worth-company-owner-pleads-guilty-lying-defense-department