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FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND
The United States of America, acting through its attorneys, charges: The Defendant Joseph R. Jackson is made a defendant on the charge stated below. Jackson is a former supervisor in the Information Technology Section of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). Description of the Offense 1. From in or around October 1999 through in or around November 2001 the defendant, then employed as a supervisor in the Information Technology Section of the WSSC, a quasi-governmental utility located in Laurel, Maryland that provides water and sewer services to residents of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland, supervised a contract computer consultant by the name of Arvind K. Agarwal. 2. The defendant, along with Agarwal, devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud the WSSC of money by means of false or fraudulent pretenses in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. 3. It was part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that the defendant caused the submission of fraudulently inflated invoices by Agarwal to the WSSC for Agarwal's computer consulting services. 4. Beginning in or around November 1999 and continuing through in or around October 2001, the defendant solicited and received at least $30,000 from Agarwal or from third parties for money due to Agarwal. 5. In consideration for the payments referenced above the defendant utilized his influence as a supervisory official in the Information Technology Section to maintain Agarwal as a WSSC contractor, to recommend additional contracts for him, to recommend increasing Agarwal's hourly salary under these contracts, and to approve for payment fraudulently inflated invoices submitted by the Agarwal to the WSSC for payment. This scheme caused the WSSC to sustain a loss of approximately $75,000 during the relevant period. 6. In or around February 2001 the defendant approached Agarwal and asked him for approximately $2,000. The defendant and Agarwal agreed that Agarwal would give the defendant the money and reimburse himself by fraudulently inflating his invoice to the WSSC for the month of February 2001 by adding thirty (30) additional hours which he would not in fact work, thus causing an overpayment of $2,400 to be made to Agarwal by the WSSC. 7. On or about February 26, 2001 Agarwal gave to the defendant four (4) separate money orders, each in the amount of $500, for a total of $2,000. 8. On or about March 1, 2001 Agarwal submitted his February 2001 invoice to the defendant who, knowing the invoice was fraudulently inflated by thirty (30) hours, signed off on the invoice and submitted it to the WSSC's Disbursements Accounting Section for payment. This caused a transfer of funds via wire to be made on or about March 7, 2001 by the WSSC's Disbursements Accounting Section. This wire transfer was initiated at the WSSC in Laurel, Maryland, traveled through the WSSC's bank account in Baltimore, MD, and consummated at a bank account in Washington, D.C. controlled by Agarwal. 9. On or about March 7, 2001 the defendant, Joseph R. Jackson, having devised a scheme to defraud the WSSC, caused to be transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate commerce a signal for the purpose of executing such scheme, namely the wire transfer of funds referenced in paragraph 8 above. Jurisdiction and Venue The offense charged in this Information was carried out in the District of Maryland within the five years preceding the filing of this Information. ALL IN VIOLATION OF TITLE 18 UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 1343. DATED: 02/13/2004
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