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New York Construction Company Owner Sentenced for Bribing Former USMMA Official
On October 5, 2018, Vincenzo Montepaone, owner of V.D.M. Mason Corp. (VDM), was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, to 6 months’ home confinement, 2 years’ probation, $113,350 in criminal forfeiture, a $6,000 fine, and a $100 special court assessment.
On August 12, 2016, Montepaone pleaded guilty to bribing a former U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) official. The investigation revealed that between October 2002 and December 2014, Montepaone and the official conspired to rig the contract-bidding process. The official illegally provided Montepaone with the bid amounts that would win contracts. In furtherance of the scheme, the official created and submitted false “covering” bids, which had higher bid amounts, to ensure that VDM was the lowest bidder. In return, Montepaone paid cash bribes to the former USMMA official. In 2014, VDM was awarded 63 contracts, valued at over $770,000, for masonry and other work at USMMA.
DOT-OIG conducted this investigation jointly with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID).