Two Denver-area corporations face federal wire fraud charges in a scheme to promote imported Chinese language forklifts to the federal authorities as American-made tools, in keeping with an indictment launched Tuesday.
Infinite Gross sales and Octane Forklifts, together with present executives Brian Firkins and Jeffrey Blasdel and former government J.R. Antczak, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on Aug. 21, Division of Justice officers introduced this week.
In response to the indictment, Octane’s principal enterprise was shopping for forklifts made in China, rebranding them as American-made and promoting them by way of Infinite Gross sales to native, state and federal authorities shoppers.
The scheme began in Aug. 2018 and continued till at the least July 2024. Investigators say the businesses and executives additionally labored with a Chinese language producer to create pretend invoices that undervalued the imported forklifts to keep away from paying greater than $1 million in tariffs and charges.
In an announcement, Division of Homeland Safety Inspector Basic Joseph V. Cuffari mentioned the businesses informed the forklifts to the Federal Emergency Administration Company and the Division of Protection whereas claiming to adjust to the Buy American Act.
“It’s particularly reprehensible that this alleged fraud concerned a FEMA contract utilizing catastrophe funds,” Cuffari mentioned.
Each corporations and Firkins, Blasdel and Antczak have been indicted for conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to enter items into the USA by the use of false or fraudulent statements, federal officers mentioned.
Firkins, Blasdel and Antczak additionally face fees of wire fraud, and Blasdel is charged with making false statements to the federal government.
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