A former construction executive in St. Louis is facing federal wire-fraud charges over alleged minority business enterprise fronts.
3月30日，大陪审团起诉布莱恩·科沃特（Brian Kowert Sr.），他是圣路易斯联邦地方法院HBD Construction Co.的前首席运营官，涉及五项电汇欺诈罪。检察官说，库尔特（Kowert）也是该公司的所有者兼执行副总裁，他通过伪造记录来使HBD的少数族裔企业（MBE）参与其项目，向欺诈项目所有者加上圣路易斯和密苏里州政府。18luck官网
起诉书说，联邦MBE计划最初旨在促进历史上处于经济弱势群体的成员拥有的小型企业的增长。但是从2014年开始，库尔特（Kowert18luck官网指控。
In one case highlighted in the indictment, construction of the Quadrangle Housing project in 2014, prosecutors say Kowert and HBD paid an MBE firm about $2,000 to act as a "pass through" while claiming about $224,000 in project costs to the same firm, though the materials and work were actually provided by three non-MBE companies. In another, prosecutors say HBD gave an MBE company $2,500 while distributing more than $340,000 to non-MBE companies that actually performed the work he attributed to the MBE firm in the contract. Missouri officials and the City of St. Louis had no knowledge of Kowert’s alleged criminal conduct, and fully cooperated with federal law enforcement in the investigation, the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri said in a陈述. Two front companies, identified just as C.K. and C.R.'s companies in the indictment, acted as pass-throughs. The document did not mention either company as cooperating with the government. The U.S Attorney's Office declined to comment on whether the MBE firms would face charges.
起诉书称，由于该计划的统计，该计划的税收减免和资金是由Phony MBE信息Kowert和HBD共享的。
库尔特的律师乔尔·施瓦茨（Joel Schwartz）拒绝对此案发表评论。
总部位于爱荷华州的罗素集团（Russell Group Inc.）于2020年收购了HBD。罗素（Russell）和HBD均未被任命为该案的被告。
In a statement, the construction and development company said it had no prior knowledge of the alleged fraud. Russell said Kowert has not been with the company since December 2021, when it learned of the investigation, and added that it is cooperating with investigators. Russell is ranked 388th on新利luckEnr的2021年前400名承包商, with $207.3 million in revenue the previous year.
罗素总统凯特琳·罗素（Caitlin Russell）在一份声明中说：“这件事以布莱恩·科沃特（Brian Kowert Sr.）的身份开始。”“我们在罗素的我们完全致力于透明和道德财务管理。我们不容忍任何形式的欺诈行为或不当行为。”
