Seven People Charged in $350 Million Government Construction Fraud Scheme.

Acting US Attorney in SC Beth Drake announced Tuesday:

Alfonza McCutchen Jr., age 39 of Irmo, Thomas Brock, age 49 of Camden, Jerry Eddins, age 66 of Aspermont, Texas, Harry Michael White, age 65 of Columbia, Cory J. Adams, age 43 of Columbia, Tory Brock, age 51 of Camden, and Allison Amanda Sauls, 46, of New York, New York were charged in an eighteen count Indictment with various frauds related to the award of nearly $350 million in federal government construction contracts. According to an Indictment filed in federal court, the scheme took advantage of construction contracts administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration. These construction contracts were earmarked to be given to minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned and disabled person-owned construction companies.

However, the Indictment alleges that the defendants hid the fact that construction companies were not controlled by minorities, veterans, women or the disabled in order to receive the lucrative contracts.

Thomas Brock, Jerry Eddins, Harry Michael White, Cory Adams, Tory Brock and Alfonza McCutchen were charged with conspiracy to defraud the government in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 371. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment for 5 years. Thomas Brock, Jerry Eddins, Harry Michael White and Amanda Sauls were also charged with wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 1343. The maximum penalty the defendants could receive for wire fraud is 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

Two companies, Automatic Cash L.L.C. and EEC L.L.C. were also charged with major fraud against the United States in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 1031. The maximum penalty the companies could receive for that charge is a fine of $10,000,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Small Business Administration-Office of Inspector General (OIG), United States Department of Agriculture-OIG, Department of Energy-OIG, United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Defense Contract Audit Agency, and Veterans Affairs OIG and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office for prosecution.