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Hummingbird Aviation
Owner Found Guilty In Helicopter Service Contract Fraud By Shane Nolan |
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February 8, 2012 - Charles R. Priestley, 48, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty and was sentenced for making a false, fictitious and fraudulent claim to the United States government.
The United States District Court in East St. Louis
presided over the plea of guilty and sentenced Priestley
to the serve 5 years of probation and to pay a fine of
$4,000.00, a special assessment to the court of $100.00,
and to pay restitution of $300,000.00 to the United
States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). Priestley
was previously debarred from participation in federal
contracts for six (6) years.
Priestley operated Hummingbird Aviation, a company in
Louisiana. He entered into a contract with the
USTRANSCOM, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, and
responsible for national and international military
transportation for the United States.
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On
December 12, 2007, Hummingbird sent a payroll summary to
USTRANSCOM, which fraudulently requested reimbursement for the
aircraft lease for October 1 through November 30, 2007,
amounting to $300,000.
Priestley
admitted that this claim resulted in the fraudulent payment of
$300,000.00 by USTRANSCOM.
"The
outcome and judgment in this case are a testament to the
accomplishments achieved with interagency cooperation," said
Special Agent Nina Leggett, who is with OSI Detachment 301 at
Scott AFB. "The outstanding working relationship between OSI,
USTRANSCOM, and the Assistant United States Attorney office for
Southern Illinois was essential in achieving an outstanding
victory for the Air Force and speaks volumes for the efforts
being put forth to combat contract fraud."
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