Investigations

On November 1, 2019, FHWA issued a final decision to debar Sheila Curtis, a former consultant fabrication inspector for HRV Conformance Verification Associates, Inc. (HRV), from Federal contracting and other procurement and nonprocurement transactions. The debarment was for a period of 44 months and 2 weeks, retroactive to March 15, 2016, and expired on November 29, 2019.

 

In November 2016, Curtis pleaded guilty to theft by deception and forgery after an investigation revealed that, while working on a federally funded bridge project, she sought reimbursement for lodging expenses she had not incurred. The Maine Department of Transportation hired HRV to inspect the federally funded Lisbon/Durham bridge project, and HRV assigned Curtis to inspect materials at a plant in Kingfield, Maine. From June to October 2015, Curtis intentionally deceived HRV and the State of Maine by creating the impression that she was staying at two different hotels while working on the project. She admitted to seeking reimbursement for lodging expenses that she had not incurred by falsifying or altering hotel bills.

 

This case was prosecuted by the Maine Attorney General’s Office.