Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Alec Dierna, 32, and John Engler, 40, both of Boca Raton, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Andrew Klos, 21, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a fine of $250,000.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN FRANCISCO – Tetra Tech EC, Inc. (Tetra Tech), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tetra Tech, Inc., paid $57 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it fabricated work and falsified data the U.S. Department of the Navy relied on to determine whether the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS) in the San Francisco Bay was free from harmful radiation
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tetra Tech EC Inc. (Tetra Tech), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tetra Tech, Inc., paid $57 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it fabricated work and falsified data the U.S. Department of the Navy relied on to determine whether the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS) in the San Francisco Bay was free from harmful radiation.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the government alleged that, pursuant to contracts issued by the Navy between 2003 and 2014, Tetra Tech was required to investigate the soil and buildings at HPNS and to remediate any areas where radiation was excessive so that the property could be transferred to the City of San Francisco for redevelopment. The government alleged that Tetra Tech instructed field technicians to discard soil samples collected from potentially contaminated locations, replace the discarded samples with “clean” soil known to satisfy the release criteria, and to submit the replaced samples for laboratory analysis. The complaint further alleged that Tetra Tech intentionally manipulated scan results in its database that falsely represented that scans taken at different locations were conducted by the same technician at the same time. The government alleged that Tetra Tech benefited from this misconduct by receiving unearned contract award fees and avoiding obligations to perform additional remediation work, thereby decreasing its costs and increasing its profits.
“We expect companies contracting with the government to do business honestly and fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates the Department’s continuing commitment to hold accountable those who fail to fulfill their responsibilities in providing services to the U.S. military.”
“Over the past two decades, the federal government has dedicated significant resources to ensuring that the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is free from harmful radiation and safe for public use. This has been a critical project for the Hunters Point community and the federal government, and it should have been just as important to the contractor that the government selected and paid to perform radiological testing and remediation at the site,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “This litigation and settlement send a clear message that the government will hold contractors accountable for knowingly defrauding taxpayers by flouting their duties.”
“By falsifying work claims and manipulating critical data, Tetra Tech put its own financial interests ahead of its commitments to the Department of the Navy, potentially placing the health and safety of the American people at risk,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Merkal of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS and our federal partners remain committed to protecting the integrity of the procurement process within the Department of War.”
The settlement resolves allegations filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene and take over responsibility for litigating these cases, as the United States did here. The consolidated qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Jahr, et al., v. Tetra Tech EC, Inc., Case No. 13-3835 (N.D. Cal.) and were brought by Arthur R. Jahr III, Elbert G. Bowers, Susan V. Andrews, Archie R. Jackson, Anthony Smith, Donald K. Wadsworth, and Robert McLean, former employees and contractors of Tetra Tech. The relators’ share of the settlement is approximately $11,970,000.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency. The Justice Department also expresses its appreciation for the assistance provided by the Department of Navy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The matter was handled by Civil Division Trial Attorney Jonathan Hoerner and Assistant U.S. Attorney Savith Iyengar for the Northern District of California.
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The United States also recovered $40 million in a separate settlement under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, that was entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on July 2, 2025.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Two former city councilmen for Baldwin Park and Compton were each sentenced to 18 months in federal prison terms today for engaging in corrupt acts while they were elected officials, including the payment and acceptance tens of thousands of dollars in bribes for a police union’s support and to obtain official city permits for marijuana cultivation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an indictment against Davide Velarde, 44, of Tucson for making materially false statements on background investigation forms to obtain employment with federal contractors for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
LAS VEGAS – A Romanian national, illegally present in the United States, made his initial appearance in court Friday after a grand jury charged him for allegedly using a counterfeit foreign passport and other documents as part of a fraud scheme to steal money from American victims.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury in Chicago convicted a former engineer at Philips Medical Systems Friday of conspiring to steal Philips’ trade secrets and bring them to a Chinese competitor.
“The theft of proprietary information is a serious economic crime that harms American jobs and stifles critically important research and development driving the future of our nation,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “When individuals, corporate entities, or nation states steal proprietary information, they are threatening our country’s technological edge. The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute trade secret theft to protect innovation, ensure fair competition, and safeguard national economic security.”
“Jen acted at the expense of his U.S. employer by stealing closely guarded x-ray technology trade secrets for the benefit of a Chinese competitor,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “Protecting America’s private sector companies is a priority for the FBI, and this conviction underscores our commitment to defend the homeland. Know that if you choose to steal trade secrets, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable.”
Chih-Yee Jen, 71, of Mequon, Wisconsin, worked as an engineer at Philips’ facility in Aurora, Illinois, where employees researched, developed, and manufactured X-ray tubes used in computed tomography (CT) medical imaging machines. Through its Dunlee brand, Philips spent years developing proprietary X-ray technology and selling various devices to medical facilities. In 2017, as Philips prepared to close the facility in Aurora, China-based Kunshan GuoLi Electronic Technology Co Ltd. and a Kunshan GuoLi vice president, Xiaoqin Du, began communicating with Jen about creating a U.S. subsidiary for Kunshan GuoLi to help it compete with Philips in developing, manufacturing, and selling X-ray tubes. While still employed at Philips, Jen began sharing confidential Philips documents with Kunshan GuoLi and Du and successfully recruited multiple Philips engineers to join him at the Kunshan GuoLi subsidiary. Jen copied Philips’ proprietary X-ray trade secret information from internal Philips databases and used the stolen information in connection with his new work developing the technology for the Kunshan GuoLi subsidiary.
After a week-long trial, Jen was convicted of both counts against him, including conspiracy to steal, misappropriate, or possess trade secrets and possession or attempted possession of stolen trade secrets. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang set Jen’s sentencing for Jan. 5, 2027, at 10:00 a.m.
Two other former Philips engineers — Fince Tendian, 57, of Aurora, Illinois, and Vladimir Nevtonenko, 77, of Arlington Heights, Illinois — pleaded guilty prior to trial and admitted possessing stolen trade secrets. Judge Chang scheduled Nevtonenko’s sentencing for Dec. 1 at 10:00 a.m., and Tendian’s sentencing for Dec. 8 at 10:00 a.m.
Du, 64, of Suzhou, China, Kunshan GuoLi, and a related Chinese company, Kunshan Yiyuan Medical Technology Co. Ltd., were also indicted in the case. They were placed on the court’s Fugitive Calendar and have not been arraigned.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ramon Villalpando and Michael Maione for the Northern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edgar Diaz, age 47, pled guilty on August 12, 2026, to one count of immigration fraud. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Buffalo Acting Field Office Director Philip Rhoney made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK – Bryan Nixon, age 32, of Endicott, New York pled guilty on July 27, 2026, in Syracuse, New York to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a felon. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Bryan DiGirolamo and Vestal Police Department Chief of Police Vince Stavola, made the announcement.