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Defendant Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Samuel Thomas Lanier, 40, of Dunsmuir, pleaded guilty today to seven counts of major fraud against the United States, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
Lanier was charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud the United States by submitting false reimbursement requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in connection with federal grants awarded to Siskiyou and Shasta County Fire Chiefs Associations.
The Siskiyou and Shasta County Fire Chiefs Associations were awarded grants as part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program in June 2013 and June 2014, respectively. Each grant was over $1 million.
Lanier, as an owner or executive of two companies located in Dunsmuir, was hired by the Fire Chiefs Associations to administer these grants. In this capacity, Lanier knowingly submitted to FEMA false and fraudulent reimbursement requests, seeking and obtaining reimbursement for goods and services that were not, in fact, actually obtained on behalf of the fire associations.
According to court documents, Lanier’s scheme caused a gross loss to the United States of over $500,000.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Major Frauds & Corruption Unit of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schuller Hitchcock is prosecuting the case.
Lanier is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on September 16. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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