Investigations

On July 27, 2017, Jenna Wilson, former vice president of K&L Construction, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, was charged by information in U.S. District Court, Sioux City, Iowa, with making false statements about a highway project. On August 7, 2017, she pleaded guilty.

 

The investigation was based on a joint referral from the Iowa Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Iowa Department of Transportation (IA-DOT) relating to a construction contract on a $16 million FHWA-funded reconstruction of the I-29 Sioux Interchange Project, on which K & L Construction was a subcontractor.

 

Wilson admitted that between January 2016 and July 2016 she submitted falsified invoices for stockpiled materials on the interchange project to increase the cost. These altered invoices were submitted to IA-DOT for reimbursement. In total, Wilson fraudulently increased the amounts of valid supplier invoices by $807,637.10. The fraudulent actions led to an interest-free loan of $34,432.02 to K&L Construction.