Investigations

On February 14, 2019, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) debarred Rajinder Sachdeva from participating in federally funded procurement and nonprocurement programs for a period of 5 years. On December 14, 2018, in U.S. District Court, Chicago, Illinois, Sachdeva was convicted of corruptly soliciting and accepting gratuities and kickbacks while working as a department manager at Pace suburban bus service, a division of Chicago’s Regional Transit Administration.

 

Between 2010 and 2015, Sachdeva demanded and accepted kickbacks and gratuities from IT contractors, as a reward for hiring and continuing to employ them at Pace. He concealed the payments by obtaining the money directly from the IT contractors or through a company in which his wife possessed an interest. Sachdeva told a cooperating witness that he wanted his share for placing people at Pace and that IT contractors were obtaining employment due to his influence. He also directed a former employee and a current contractor at Pace to submit invoices for IT work to his wife’s company, using a false name.