WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Paul Hurley, 52, of Washington Township, pleaded guilty to covering up co-defendant Gary Tenaglia’s efforts to defraud the Wayne County Airport Authority of over $1.5 million in 2012 and 2013, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced Tuesday.
UPDATE: Former consultant to airport contractor pleads guilty to concealing scheme to defraud airport
Recommended Videos
Hurley owned and operated a consulting firm that provided business and financial advice to Tenaglia and his company, Envision.
Beginning in 2012, Tenaglia conceived and executed a scheme to defraud the WCAA by charging for the application of thousands of pounds of de-icing salt, called, NAAC, which, in fact, Envision did not apply.
The fraudulent charges, paid in full by the WCAA, totaled $1.5 million. As part of the scheme, Tenaglia asked Hurley to review and comment on a fabricated invoice that would show a purchase of NAAC by Tenaglia’s company.
After learning of Tenaglia’s scheme to defraud the airport and assisting in its concealment, Hurley failed to notify law enforcement of the crime.
The misprision of a felony charge to which Hurley has pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Timothy Slater, special agent-in-charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Andrea M. Kropf, acting regional special agent-in-charge of the Chicago Field Office of the United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General.
“Today’s guilty plea reinforces our continued commitment to holding accountable not only those who perpetrate fraud on our public infrastructure, but also those who help conceal these crimes. Our citizens deserve protection from the fraud, waste and abuse that stems from contractors who are motivated by greed rather than a desire to improve our public infrastructure,” said Schneider.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the Department of Transportation.