Investigations

On August 8, 2019, SIMCO Engineering PC (SIMCO), a construction firm based in New York City, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY). The DPA required SIMCO to forfeit $1 million, employ an integrity monitor on a ongoing basis, separate and divest from its president, Muhammad Siddiqui, bar principals Husam Ahmad and Shahid Akhtar from any control of the company, and institute a Minority, Women-owned, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/W/DBE) compliance policy.

 

DANY announced the indictments of SIMCO and several individuals on April 18, 2018, during a wide-scale investigation into corruption and fraud connected to DOT-funded projects. The investigation examined the New York State (NYS) DOT’s Kosciuszko Bridge Reconstruction Project, funded by the Federal Highway Administration, and various NYS Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway projects, funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), among other Government projects. The defendants allegedly bribed a New York City government official in exchange for confidential information on future construction projects to help them defraud M/W/DBE programs.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with DANY’s Construction Fraud Task Force.