Investigations

On November 6, 2017, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) suspended and proposed to debar Jerome Lauzon from doing business with the Federal Government. On September 13, 2017, Lauzon pleaded guilty and was sentenced in Albany City Court, New York, for official misconduct. Lauzon was sentenced to a 1-year conditional discharge. He also resigned from his position with the State of New York and paid $9,692.64 in restitution.

 

Lauzon was the engineer-in-charge of a 2012 federally funded highway rehabilitation project in Washington County, New York. He used his position to persuade a construction firm to provide him with nearly $10,000 worth of equipment and services for his personal use, including, but not limited to, a snow blower, car repairs, laptops, computer equipment, and a lawnmower. Lauzon utilized the credit card of the firm that had been contracted to work on the project to purchase the items. He acknowledged purchasing the equipment in question and passing the cost of the items, approximately $9,692.64, onto the project he was overseeing. He also falsified entries in the books and records of the New York State (NYS) DOT by entering the expenses as legitimate costs associated with the project.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with NYS-OIG.