Florida Man Charged with Procurement Fraud Related to Federal Courthouse in St. Thomas

St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that David Wikel, president of Florida-based Therma-Seal Roof Systems, LLC, was charged with providing kickbacks in connection with the $1.7 million dollar federal government subcontract to retrofit the roof of the Ron de Lugo Federal Building in St. Thomas, VI.

According to the Information filed in the case, in May through October 2014 Wikel paid over $200,000 in kickbacks to a senior project manager for the prime contractor on the Ron de Lugo Project, and that person ultimately funneled $85,000 back to Wikel. The Informtion also alleges that Wikel falsely inflated the costs billed under the subcontract in order to cover the aforementioned kickbacks.

This case is being investigated by the General Services Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of the Inspector General, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Brooks.

United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an Information is merely a formal charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found