TYB
Look like it's going to be one of those days. All PF was doing was checking out luxury jets in the air. Then started diging and fell down this rabbit hole. Two get punished but the really rich political donor pays a fine and admits no guilt. Keeps his beach mansion and is now en route from Virginia Beach to somewhere in the Caribbean. What a life!
HILLIER GIV, LLC
Farhad Aghdami (agent)
https://www.bizapedia.com/va/hillier-giv-llc.html
There are 177 individuals that go by the name of Farhad Aghdami.
These individuals collectively are associated with 177 companies in 30 cities. The cities are Alpharetta GA, Ashland VA, Charlottesville VA, Danville VA, Fredericksburg VA, Gathersburg MD, Glen Allen VA, Greensboro NC, Henrico VA, Kitty Hawk NC, Lovettsville VA, Martinsville VA, Mclean VA, Mechanicsville VA, Middleburg VA, Midlothian VA, Moseley VA, Norfolk VA, North Myrtle Beach SC, Oilville VA, Raleigh NC, Richmond VA, Roanoke VA, Rochelle VA, St Louis MO, Virgilina VA, Virginia Beach VA, Wake VA, Wise VA, and Yorktown VA.
https://www.bizapedia.com/people/farhad-aghdami.html
Former CEO of Virginia Beach defense contractor to pay $20 million to settle fraud allegations
By SCOTT DAUGHERTY
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT |
AUG 20, 2019 AT 1:56 PM
The formerCEO of a Virginia Beach defense contractorwill pay $20 million to settle allegations he worked with others to fraudulently obtain federal contracts that had been set-aside for small businesses, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The settlement reached byLuke Hillieris on top of a $16 million deal ADS Inc. and its subsidiaries reached two years ago with the federal government. Neither settlement came with any admission of liability.
According to the Justice Department, the combined settlements rank as “the largest False Claims Act recovery based on allegations of small business contracting fraud.”
“The government expects people to be truthful in their dealings with the government, and the United States will investigate and pursue those that fail to live up to that expectation,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu said in a statement.
Calls and emails to Hillier’s attorney, Brian Whisler, were not returned.
In a statement, an ADS spokeswoman stressed Hillier has not been a part of the company’s day-to-day operations for almost a decade and that the settlement in question “relates to allegations dating back more than ten years.”
The Justice Department said Hillier remains the majority owner of ADS.
“We are pleased that Mr. Hillier has reached an amicable resolution with the government officially putting his matter to rest, allowing him to continue his philanthropic endeavors, while ADS continues to focus on doing what we do best: supporting the U.S. military community," Caitlin Stojanovich said.
The settlements came in response to a so-called “qui tam” lawsuit that was filed in November 2013 under the whistle blower provision of the False Claims Act. Such lawsuits allow private parties to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and to be awarded a portion of the funds recovered.
Ameliorate Partners, a limited liability partnership formed in Delaware in 2013, received more than $6.6 million in this case.
The Justice Department claimed Hillier caused ADS, which currently boasts more than 400 employees, to falsely represent itself as a small business. In an earlier news release, the department said the company was secretly affiliated with several companies, including SEK Solutions, Karda Systems, MJL Enterprises LLC, London Bridge Trading Co. and Mythics Inc.
As a result of Hillier’s false representations, ADS was awarded “numerous small business set-aside contracts for which it was ineligible,” the Justice Department said Tuesday.
For years, federal agents have investigated Hillier’s connections to two top SEK Solutions executives.
Khalil Naim, a friend of Hillier’s from Old Dominion University, and former Del. Ron Villanueva, the recipient of some of Hillier’s political donations, were implicated in a scheme to improperly secure special government contracts.
Both men have pleaded guilty to federal charges. Naim was sentenced to one month in jail and Villanueva was sentenced to 2½ years…
https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/vp-nw-luke-hillier-million-settlement-20190820-frknel4f2vhj7pfqa5dayx2yw4-story.html
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…While not identified by name in court documents, federal prosecutors claimed a man matching Hillier’s description introducedNaim and Villanuevaand explained to Naim how the man’s company could secure contracts set aside for minority- and women-owned businesses by partnering with companies like SEK.
Naim has spoken with federal investigators about how Hillier introduced him to Villanueva at a Virginia Beach restaurant, according to Trey Kelleter, Naim’s attorney. In court, Kelleter described the relationship as “a conspiracy to criminally violate the small business laws.”
Earlier this year, however, Kelleter said federal prosecutors notified him that they would not be charging Hillier and would not need his client’s assistance.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia declined to comment.
In addition to ADS and Hillier, several other companies and individuals have entered into smaller settlement agreements with the government.
MJL Enterprises LLC has agreed to pay $400,000, SEK Solutions has agreed to pay $140,000 and Karda Systems has agreed to pay $80,000. Charles Salle, former general counsel for ADS and a current vice chairman of the Virginia Beach Development Authority, has agreed to pay $225,000.
None of those settlements came with admissions of liability.
Over the past two decades, ADS has evolved from a small shop selling diving equipment into a billion-dollar-plus business.
Its roots go back to 1979, with the founding of Lynnhaven Dive Center by Hillier’s father. In 1997, Hillier returned to the family business to start Atlantic Diving Supply Inc. and focus on serving government customers, according to the company’s website.
The company served as a kind of middleman for the Pentagon as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan unfolded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, catering particularly to Navy SEALs and special-operations units. The website said the company holds more than 50 Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contracts and Blanket Purchase Agreements, and is now considered a “Top 50 Federal Government Contractor.”
For most of the past decade, ADS’s yearly contract totals hovered around $1 billion, according to data from USAspending.gov. That figure shot up to more than $2.5 billion last year.
In 2015, Hillier and his wife, Stephanie, founded Hillier Ignite. The private foundation is intended to “promote democracy and freedom by creating opportunity,” according to its website. It gives grants to help entrepreneurs, youth and the military.
Over the years, Hillier has donated to various organizations. In 2016, he built the Hillier Ignite Fitness Park at the Oceanfront. And earlier this year, he put up $20,000 to help bring home the remains of a man who died in Croatia attending a wedding. Michael Cunningham had ties to the Eastern Shore.
https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/vp-nw-luke-hillier-million-settlement-20190820-frknel4f2vhj7pfqa5dayx2yw4-story.html
Farhad Aghdami is Williams Mullen's Richmond Managing Partner. He focuses his practice on wealth transfer tax planning, business succession planning, income tax planning for individuals and businesses and fiduciary litigation. He counsels a wide variety of clients, including high net worth individuals and families, middle-market business owners, institutional fiduciaries, family offices and charitable entities. Farhad has been listed in the Chambers USA High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law (2017-present), where he was described by clients as “very smart, quick and personable. He makes the client feel at ease, he looks out for their best interest and he follows through." Another source states that "he thinks outside the box and gives you something that is unique."
https://www.williamsmullen.com/people/farhad-aghdami
Farhad Aghdami, J.D.
Farhad Aghdami joined the MCV Foundation board in 2017. Farhad is Williams Mullen’s Richmond Managing Partner. He focuses his practice on wealth transfer tax planning, business succession planning, income tax planning for individuals and businesses and fiduciary litigation.
https://www.mcvfoundation.org/about/board
http://www.virginialiving.com/culture/spca-fur-ball/
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Ron Villanueva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ron A. Villanueva (born March 30, 1970) is a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 21st district, which includes part of Virginia Beach; from 2010 to 2018. He is a Republican who first won election in 2009, defeating incumbent Democratic Delegate Bobby Mathieson in the general election. He was sworn in the following January in Richmond, Virginia.[2] Villanueva was the first Filipino American elected to Virginia state government.[3] He was reelected to 4 consecutive terms,[4] but lost his bid for a 5th term on November 7, 2017.[5]
In 2019, Villanueva pleaded guilty to fraud in regards to misuse of 8(a) Business Development Program; he was sentenced to serve 2 1/2 years in jail, 3 years probation, and $524,000 in restitution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Villanueva
Ron Villanueva wished people knew what he was doing. The truth could now send him to prison.
…People wrongly believed others were handling SEK Solutions' financial decisions, Villanueva complained to his partner in a September 2009 email.
"You worry so much about semantics," respondedKhalil Naim, who, as the husband of the company's official president and owner, wasn't legally supposed to be handling the company's finances either. "Would you rather have Benjamins or someone calling you owner. … The only satisfaction I ever need is to make money and make our business successful! Don't let this … bother you! You and I know the real truth!"
moar at:
https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/article_3a44a976-977f-11e9-9f8e-8fcf2ed28579.html
Ex-GOP legislator urges Va. delegates to back bill reducing prison sentences after serving his own for fraud
RICHMOND — Before Del. Don L. Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth) presented a bill to the House of Delegates on Wednesday that would allow prison inmates to earn more credits for good behavior, he read aloud a letter from a supporter most fellow lawmakers knew well: former Del. Ronald A. Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach), who recently finished serving 10 months in federal prison for contracting fraud.
“I have certainly learned firsthand the consequences of bad judgment and not following 100 percent the law,” Villanueva wrote.
As a delegate from 2010 until 2018, Villanueva sat on the House Courts of Justice Committee and supported bills “that weighed heavily on punishment as a method of deterrence,” he said. But he added that he has since learned the value of “human redemption.”
Villanueva pleaded guilty to fraud in 2019 on charges that he had helped two federal contractors falsely win work as minority-owned businesses. He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison and ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution.
He said he was released early because of concerns about possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.
While behind bars, Villanueva said, he worked as a GED instructor and saw how hard inmates worked to improve themselves. Scott’s bill, he said, “makes a first step and giant leap to humanity and offers offenders a path back forward.”
He said he also learned about compassion through an incident that took place shortly before the end of his final term in office. Villanueva said he was called by the state parole board for input on whether the man who had killed his sister in a drunken driving incident years earlier should qualify for early release.
After considering the man’s extensive efforts behind bars to redeem himself and help other inmates, Villanueva said he prayed and then asked the parole board to show mercy.
Scott’s bill would boost the credits that inmates can earn toward early release if they show good behavior and meet certain standards. Virginia eliminated parole in most cases during the early 1990s.
Republicans argued that the measure would upend the state’s criminal justice system, which in recent years has posted the lowest recidivism rate in the nation.
Democrats, who control both chambers of the legislature, have promised to create more flexibility in law enforcement and criminal prosecution as they overhaul a justice system that they say has disproportionately harmed African Americans.
The House will vote on the measure Thursday. If it passes, it would move on to the Senate for consideration.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/former-gop-lawmaker-jailed-for-fraud-urges-virginia-delegates-to-support-measure-reducing-prison-sentences/2020/09/09/dc279b54-f2dc-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html
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Virginia Beach CEO admits his "small business" was a secret puppet of a larger firm
MAY 24, 2018
SEK Solutions, a small Virginia Beach firm, didn't start out a puppet of a much larger federal contractor, according to court documents.
But it also didn't start out very successfully, earning no money from the federal small-business contracts it sought the first three years it qualified.
Then, federal prosecutors said, one of its founders met in Virginia Beach with the owner of the larger company. A secret deal was struck, and SEK became a conduit for that large firm to win special contracts set aside for women- and minority-owned small businesses.
SEK's co-founder and former CEO,Khalil "Kal" Naim, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of aiding and abetting a false statement his wife made to help win federal contracts.
He faces up to five years in prison when sentenced Aug 29. in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. Naim also will be required to pay $479,641 in restitution.
In exchange for his plea and cooperation, prosecutors are not pursuing charges against his wife, Edna….
The statement of facts filed with Khalil Naim's guilty plea does not identify the larger company, its owner or a consultant who worked for both it and SEK.
But in separate civil cases, both SEK and Virginia Beach-based ADS Inc. have agreed to settle allegations they were secretly affiliated with each other. ADS will pay $16 million and SEK will pay $140,000, though neither firm admitted wrongdoing.
Luke Hillierowns a majority stake in ADS and tried to take it public in 2011 for $204 million. Former state Del. Ron Villanueva previously served as vice president and president of SEK, and in an interview last year he said he joined the firm the same year Naim admitted hiring the consultant: 2005…
According to the statement of facts, Khalil Naim and his wife started SEK, identified only as Firm A. Then a software business, it was incorporated in March 2001 with Edna Naim as the sole owner.
But in 2005, Khalil Naim started running the business, and the firm began selling weapon- and industrial-storage products. A "teaming agreement" signed around July 2005 required SEK to buy goods from the larger firm, the statement of facts said.
The Small Business Administration started investigating SEK in April 2013. A letter to Edna Naim questioned if she was truly heading the company, citing "numerous pieces of public information" that appeared to indicate to the contrary.
In response, Naim helped his wife draft a letter in April 2013 that claimed she made the key decisions about SEK's finances and was generally involved in the "everyday operations" of the firm.
Naim, formerly of Loudon County and now of Virginia Beach, knew those details were false when he helped her write the letter, the document said.
SEK is no longer in business. Kelleter said in court Naim and his wife now run a business flipping houses.
Villanueva, a Republican, has multiple ties to ADS and Hillier. Over the span of nine years, ADS was his second-biggest corporate campaign donor and Hillier was his top private contributor.
Villanueva never listed ADS on any of his financial disclosures. Last year, he told The Virginian-Pilot he didn't need to because he was "never an officer there" and "did not work for that company."
moar at:
https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/article_6dc7f58a-5ef7-11e8-8ec9-5360c16f4413.html
…The program that Villanueva and Naim exploited was meant to help small businesses get on their feet; after 2010, the company would no longer qualify. So, Villanueva admitted, he persuaded his brother-in-law,Sam Caragan,to move to Virginia Beach and be the front for a new company. Villanueva used his official House of Delegates letterhead to write to the SBA in support of the new company — not disclosing that he was actually running it, with Naim…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/former-virginia-state-lawmaker-pleads-guilty-to-contracting-fraud/2019/03/19/93046d84-4a82-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html
https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Sam-Caragan/1461810534
https://www.zoominfo.com/c/karda-systems-llc/347526226
http://www.kardasystems.com/
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