California security company guilty of using unlicensed security officers at IRS location
Fresno CA December 12 2018
A security firm employee pleaded guilty Monday in a scheme to supply unqualified armed guards to the IRS in Fresno.
Scott T. Carlton, 49, of Visalia was an employee of E&A Protective Services, which had a government contract to supply 24-hour-a-day armed security to the IRS campus in Fresno.
When it became apparent many of the guards could not achieve a minimum firearms shooting score, according to court documents, Carlton conspired to falsify the scores.
Over a three-year period, E&A was paid more than $2 million on fraudulent invoices submitted to the IRS for unqualified security guards.
Two co-defendants have previously pleaded guilty. Matthew L. Cocola, 47, of Clovis, pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2016, to making a false statement and was sentenced to a term of probation. Robert J. Bejarano, 49, of Kingsburg, pleaded guilty on Sept. 17 to conspiracy and making a false statement and is scheduled to be sentenced May 6, 2019.
Carlton is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on March 25, 2019. Carlton faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy, and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for making a false statement, though the final sentence is at the discretion of the court.
