Ex-city contractor pays $165,520 for false billings
D.C. tech company pays restitution to the city and a criminal charge against its president is dropped
On the eve of a trial set in Baltimore Circuit Court, a technology firm has agreed to pay over $160,000 to the city for inflated and false billings.
Washington, D.C.-based Investment Management Enterprise pleaded guilty to one count of theft before Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill yesterday.
An investigation by the Baltimore Office of Inspector General determined that IME had falsified its invoices to the Mayor’s Office of Information Technology in 2013 and early 2014.
An indictment was subsequently issued by the state’s attorney’s office against Twyla N. Garrett, 44, president of IME, for theft of more than $100,000.
Judge Fletcher-Hill accepted a plea agreement in which IME as a corporation pleaded guilty to one count of theft and paid restitution of $165,520 to the city.
As part of the plea deal, the criminal charge against Garrett was dropped.
A press release today by Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. lauded the agreement, saying, “This case reflects the city’s resolve to identify and prosecute corrupt vendor practices, and cases involving contract administration will continue to be a high priority for the OIG.”
The investigation did not result in any criminal charges against city personnel.