Multi-Million Dollar Scam Exposed: Local IT Executive Charged in Federal Procurement Theft Scheme
Victor M. Marquez, a Maryland resident and owner of two IT companies with significant government contracts, has been charged in a four-count indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and major fraud against the United States. The indictment alleges that Marquez, along with his co-conspirators, rigged bids and inflated the amount of money obtained from valuable IT contracts, resulting in overcharges of millions of dollars to the U.S. government.
According to the indictment, Marquez and his co-conspirators used their positions of trust to learn sensitive, confidential procurement information, including procurement budgets for large U.S. government IT contracts. They then used this information to craft bids at artificially determined, non-competitive and non-independent prices, ensuring Marquez’s company would win the procurement. The co-conspirators even shared their bids in advance of submitting them to the government, with one co-conspirator emailing the bids to another.
The indictment also charges Antwann C.K. Rawls, an employee of one of Marquez’s companies, and Scott A. Reefe, an IT sales executive, for their respective roles in the conspiracy. The investigation into this scheme is ongoing, and more charges are expected to be filed in the coming weeks.
The Antitrust Division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) partners across the government have vowed to hold accountable those who collude to subvert competition, line their pockets with federal procurement dollars, and compromise the integrity of our intelligence community programs.
The indictment was returned on October 9 and 16 by a federal grand jury in Baltimore. The investigation was led by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the FBI, with assistance from the National Security Agency and the CIA.
Victor M. Marquez, the defendant, faces significant prison time and financial penalties if convicted. The exact sentence will be determined by the court at a later date.
Victor M. Marquez
Charges: Wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and major fraud against the United States
City/State: Maryland
Date: October 9 and 16, 2023
Sentence: Pending
Amount: Millions of dollars
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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