Score:   1
Docket Number:   D-AK  3:19-cr-00120
Case Name:   USA v. Vaughan
  Press Releases:
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Dale Johnson, 57, of Anchorage, has been charged with one count of conspiracy for his role in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) into issuing Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) government “set-aside” contracts to unqualified private contractors.  A plea agreement has also been filed in this case, and Johnson is currently awaiting his Change of Plea hearing to be scheduled.

Johnson’s co-conspirators, Richard Vaughan, 72, and Donald Garner, 47, have been charged in a separate 31-count indictment with bribery and wire fraud charges in connection with the scheme.

Vaughan was a VA contract officer representative and was responsible for awarding and managing numerous contracts awarded by the VA, including certain SDVOSB “set-aside” contracts.  Johnson was the owner of ADALECO General LLC, and Garner was the owner of Veteran Ability, which were both government contractors that provided various services to the U.S. government, including the VA in Anchorage. 

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the federal government responsible for aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small business concerns.  The SBA and VA administered a program to award SDVOSB “set-aside” contracts, which could only be awarded to small business concerns owned and controlled by qualified Service-Disabled Veterans (SDVs).

In October 2014, ADALECO had an SDVOSB certification, while Veteran Ability did not.  According to court documents, Johnson falsely certified to the VA that his company ADALECO would perform a majority of the work on a snow removal contract awarded in October 2014, which was a “set-aside” contract for a certified SDVOSB contractor.  The investigation revealed, however, that it was actually Garner and Veteran Ability, along with other non-SDVOSB companies, who performed 100% of the work under the snow removal contract.  Johnson received 5-10% of every payment under the contract as a “kickback” for allowing Garner to use ADALECO’s SDVOSB certification, which amounted to approximately $54,302.  Johnson also made other misrepresentations to the VA in furtherance of the fraudulent scheme. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, and General Services Administration Office of the Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan D. Tansey and Kyle Reardon.

The charges against Johnson are merely allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Richard Vaughan, 72, and Donald Garner, 47, were arrested yesterday and have been charged in a 31 count indictment with bribery and wire fraud related to Small Business Association (“SBA”) “set-aside” contracts with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”).

Vaughan was a VA contract officer representative (“COR”) and was responsible for awarding and managing numerous contracts awarded by the VA, including certain Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) “set-aside” contracts. Vaughan also had “Purchase Card Program” authorization to spend approximately $600,000 per year on “micro-purchases” for nonstandard supplies and services for the VA. 

Garner was the owner and manager of Veteran Ability, LLC, a government contractor that provided various services, such as snow removal and housekeeping, to the U.S. government, including the VA in Anchorage, Alaska. 

From June 2015 through January 2017, Garner paid at least $29,235 in bribes to Vaughan in exchange for, among other things, preferential treatment in awarding certain VA contracts and purchase card orders and certifying payments on deficient invoices submitted by Garner for work that was unnecessary or never performed.  The scheme resulted in Garner receiving the benefit of payments of approximately $725,226.56 under a VA snow removal contract, $776,272.00 under a VA housekeeping contract, and purchase card payments in the amount of $194,330.40.

If convicted both defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release for the most serious charges in the indictment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, and General Services Administration Office of the Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan D. Tansey and Kyle Reardon.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Docket (0 Docs):   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dUngXmoeA7phq8FsRMxq1rrzAtQiKySJTMJ6bkW404k
  Last Updated: 2024-03-15 05:05:00 UTC
Description: The fiscal year of the data file obtained from the AOUSC
Format: YYYY

Description: The code of the federal judicial circuit where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: The code of the federal judicial district where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: The code of the district office where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: Docket number assigned by the district to the case
Format: A7

Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which cannot be modified by the court
Format: A3

Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which can be modified by the court
Format: A3

Description: A sequential number indicating whether a case is an original proceeding or a reopen
Format: N5

Description: Case type associated with the current defendant record
Format: A2

Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, defendant number, and reopen sequence number
Format: A18

Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, and reopen sequence number
Format: A15

Description: The status of the defendant as assigned by the AOUSC
Format: A2

Description: A code indicating the fugitive status of a defendant
Format: A1

Description: The date upon which a defendant became a fugitive
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which a fugitive defendant was taken into custody
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date when a case was first docketed in the district court
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which proceedings in a case commenced on charges pending in the district court where the defendant appeared, or the date of the defendant’s felony-waiver of indictment
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: A code used to identify the nature of the proceeding
Format: N2

Description: The date when a defendant first appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: A code indicating the event by which a defendant appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: A2

Description: A code indicating the type of legal counsel assigned to a defendant
Format: N2

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE1
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE1
Format: A3

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the second highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE2
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE2
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE2
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE2
Format: A3

Description: The FIPS code used to indicate the county or parish where an offense was committed
Format: A5

Description: The date of the last action taken on the record
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which judicial proceedings before the court concluded
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which the final sentence is recorded on the docket
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which the case was closed
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The total fine imposed at sentencing for all offenses of which the defendant was convicted and a fine was imposed
Format: N8

Description: A count of defendants filed including inter-district transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants filed excluding inter-district transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of original proceedings commenced
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants filed whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated including interdistrict transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated excluding interdistrict transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of original proceedings terminated
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period including long term fugitives
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period excluding long term fugitives
Format: N1

Description: The source from which the data were loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: A10

Description: A sequential number indicating the iteration of the defendant record
Format: N2

Description: The date the record was loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: Statistical year ID label on data file obtained from the AOUSC which represents termination year
Format: YYYY

Data imported from FJC Integrated Database
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