TriMark USA, LLC, Defrauding Service-Disabled Veterans, New York 2024

ALBANY, NEW YORK – A government contractor has been hit with a record-breaking fine for allegedly manipulating federal small business set-aside contracts intended for service-disabled veterans. TriMark USA, LLC of Mansfield, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay $48.5 million to resolve allegations that its subsidiaries, TriMark Gill Marketing and Gill Group, Inc. (collectively, TriMark), improperly manipulated federal small business set-aside contracts around the country.

According to court documents, TriMark and one of its former top executives, Kimberley Rimsza of Phoenix, Arizona, engaged in a scheme to deprive legitimate small businesses of opportunities allocated to them. The scheme resulted in federal agencies improperly awarding set-aside contracts to three small businesses, identified as “Company 1,” “Company 2,” and “Company 3,” between 2011 and 2021.

The company and Rimsza admitted to causing federal agencies to award set-aside contracts to the small businesses in violation of federal regulations. They also admitted that when set-aside contracts were awarded by federal agencies to the small businesses, it was typically TriMark Gill Marketing, rather than the small business, that performed substantially all the work.

TriMark admitted to instructing the small businesses on how to prepare their bids and what prices to propose. They also “ghostwrote” emails for those companies to send to government officials to make it appear as though the small businesses were performing work that TriMark Gill Marketing was performing. The company and Rimsza further admitted to concealing TriMark Gill Marketing’s involvement in the contract.

“TriMark and one of its former top executives are paying a steep price for obtaining contracts intended for service-disabled veterans,” said United States Attorney Freedman. “This settlement demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of its business partners, and the serious consequences for depriving legitimate small businesses of the opportunities that the government has allocated to them.”

TriMark USA, LLC, Defrauding Service-Disabled Veterans, New York 2024 Defendant: TriMark USA, LLC Exact criminal charges: Defrauding service-disabled veterans, violating federal regulations Date: 2024 Sentence: $48.5 million fine, $100,000 individual civil penalty for Kimberley Rimsza

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