A federal jury in San Antonio, Texas, convicted the owner of several companies in the construction industry for his role in a long-running scheme to defraud the federal government, officials announced Thursday.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Michael Angelo Padron, along with co-conspirators Michael Wibracht and Ruben Villarreal, conspired to defraud the federal government to obtain valuable contracts under programs administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
The evidence indicated that Padron conspired to install Villarreal, a service-disabled veteran, as the ostensible owner of a general construction company held out as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).
Padron, along with his co-conspirator and business partner Wibracht, exercised disqualifying financial and operational control over the construction company, according to officials.
According to court documents, the conspirators concealed that control in order to secure over $240 million in government contracts that were set aside for SDVOSBs in order to benefit their larger, nonqualifying businesses.
“Yesterday’s verdict is a victory for the rule of law,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force welcome this decisive outcome, which protects service-disabled veterans from cheaters and schemers.”
“Using any SBA program fraudulently undermines the spirit and true intent of bolstering the backbone of the nation’s economy — small businesses,” said Special Agent in Charge Sharon Johnson of the SBA Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Central Region.
Padron was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and six counts of wire fraud.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 19 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in priso and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy count, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each wire fraud count.