Boeing Subcontractor Sentenced On Federal Fraud Charges

St. Louis, MO – The final defendant in a bribery/kickback scheme involving Boeing military aircraft parts, JEFFREY LAVELLE, owner and operator of J. L. Manufacturing, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. J.L. Manufacturing of Everett, Washington, is an aerospace job machine shop specializing in hard metals, with the capability of producing small to medium sized complex parts of ferrous and non-ferrous materials, and was a sub-contractor to Boeing on numerous United States government F-15 fighter jet contracts. 

Over several years, Lavelle and his co-defendant Robert Diaz, Jr. made cash payments to co-defendant Deon Anderson, a Boeing Procurement Officer, in exchange for non-public company financial and bid information.  J.L. Manufacturing obtained approximately $2,000,000 in Boeing subcontracts through the bribery scheme, while Deon Anderson was paid approximately $250,000 from J.L. Manufacturing and another subcontractor located in the Los Angeles, California, area through the scheme.

Last month, former Boeing Procurement Officer Deon Anderson was sentenced to 20 months in prison in connection with a bribery/kickback scheme involving Boeing military aircraft parts, as well as structuring currency transactions to conceal his receipt of the cash bribes. Co-defendants William P. Boozer, Hacienda Heights, CA, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $10,000; and Robert Diaz, Jr., Alta Loma, CA, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $2000.

All defendants were sentenced by United States District Judge Henry Autrey in St. Louis. 

This case was investigated by Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, NASA-Office of Inspector General, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Navy Criminal Investigative Service, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.