This article is over six months old and the case was from three and a half years ago. This is one incident by a rogue employee that I believe was terminated. It made a great company look bad and that great company quickly made ammends to the situation. I feel terribly for the people that work at this company that they would be subject to emails such as this. I know many of them and I know that their level of professionalism would NEVER allow the kinds of practice that happened here. Their reputation may have been tarnished by this individual, but they have such a stellar track record, that they have quickly moved on from this incident.
Sincerely, Cecil Bilbo Academy of Fire Sprinkler Technology Champaign, IL 217.607.0325 www.sprinkleracademy.com<http://www.sprinkleracademy.com> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> OUR STUDENTS SAVE LIVES!! ---------------------------------------- > Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:30:41 -0400 > Subject: Buy American Act Article > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected]; [email protected] > > An interesting article regarding the Buy American Act - J. Reid > > > > > http://progress-index.com/news/fort-lee-subcontractor-faces-possible-20-year-prison-term-1.1135712#axzz1bi3Kb3qG > > > > FORT LEE - An employee of a subcontractor hired to install fire sprinklers > in the Army Sustainment Center of Excellence at Fort Lee has pleaded guilty > to a charge of knowingly altering documents to obstruct a federal > investigation. > > Claude Winston Gibson pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of obstruction > and is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 15 in U.S. District Court > in Richmond. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison plus > three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. In his plea > agreement, he also agreed to pay restitution of $22,917 to the Norfolk > Engineer District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. > > According to court documents, Gibson was the manager in the fabrication shop > of Virginia Sprinkler Co. Inc., a subsidiary of VSC Fire & Security Inc. of > Ashland. In April 2008, the company received a $643,000 subcontract to > install fire sprinklers in the Sustainment Center. > > VSC's subcontract was awarded under a $52 million prime contract for > construction of the center and was subject to the Buy American Act of 1933, > which requires the federal government to give preference to U.S.-made > products in its purchasing decisions. Specifically, the company's > subcontract required Virginia Sprinkler to buy a type of pipe fitting known > as a "weld-o-let" from American manufacturers. > > According to court documents, "From April 2008 until July 2008, in order to > save money for his department within Virginia Sprinkler, Gibson began to use > foreign-made weld-o-lets during the fabrication of the piping systems" for > the Sustainment Center. At the same time, prosecutors said, "Gibson directed > the welders of his department to grind off the foreign-made markings on the > weld-o-lets." > > For reasons not disclosed in court filings, in August 2008 the Defense > Criminal Investigative Service started an investigation of the Sustainment > Center project for possible noncompliance with the Buy American Act. A month > later, DCIS requested paperwork from Virginia Sprinkler concerning the > weld-o-lets. > > "Shortly after the request, Gibson directed an employee to alter certain > source documents ... by adding the letters 'USA' on the project documents > provided to the welders," court documents state. "By doing so, Gibson made > it appear that the welders had been instructed ... to use domestic > weld-o-lets, but on their own had ignored the 'USA' notation and instead > used the foreign weld-o-lets." > > The case against Gibson was filed in federal court in Richmond just a month > ago. Gibson waived his right to formal indictment and entered his guilty > plea at the first hearing held in the case, which originally was scheduled > only as a bond hearing. > > The federal Buy American Act passed in March 1933 superseded an earlier law > dating to 1875 that gave preferential treatment to American-produced > materials in contracts for public improvements. > > The act states in part that "only such manufactured articles, materials and > supplies as have been manufactured in the United States, substantially all > from articles, materials or supplies mined, produced or manufactured, as the > case may be, in the United States, shall be acquired for public use." > > - Michael Buettner may be reached at 804-722-5155 or > [email protected]. > > Read more: > http://progress-index.com/news/fort-lee-subcontractor-faces-possible-20-year-prison-term-1.1135712#ixzz1biIQLgCP > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > <http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/private/sprinklerforum/attachments/20111024/57a98f07/attachment.html> > _______________________________________________ > Sprinklerforum mailing list > [email protected] > http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum > _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum
