Mr. Schiff: It happened in Alabama. Construction bribes. FBI Special Agent Mike Ponzo was on the case. He says the project manager for new condos in Huntsville had an increase-the-bid scheme for a contractor.
Mr. Ponzo: "Had been asked to change bids in exchange for proceeds that would fraudulently be taken from the primary investors.”
Mr. Schiff: The contractor agreed to work with the FBI. Ponzo says that when money was transferred, technology recorded everything.
Mr. Ponzo: "We used tapes and cameras and everything else that we had available to us to memorialize payoffs and the kickbacks and that type of thing.”
Mr. Schiff: Ponzo says these recordings clearly showed the original bid from the contractor, who was helping the FBI, made to the scheming condo project manager.
Mr. Ponzo: "Giving him detailed, an avenue, to increase the bids.”
Mr. Schiff: After pleading guilty, the subject got two-and-a-half years behind bars and has to pay back more than $900,000 in restitution and forfeiture. I’m Neal Schiff of the Bureau, and that’s the FBI’s Closed Case of the Week.
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