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Office of Inspector General |
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| Title: | Former South Carolina Department of Transportation Inspector Pleads Guilty To Making False Statements On Federally-Funded Highway Project |
| Date: | May 31, 2007 |
| Type: | Investigation |
| Summary: | On May 31, Keith A. Johnson, a former inspector for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Greenville, South Carolina, to charges of making false statements regarding a Federally-funded highway project. Johnson was in charge of ensuring that ready-mix concrete met contract specifications for a $5.7 million bridge construction project over the Chatuga River on U.S. Highway 76 in Oconee County, South Carolina. Investigation found that Johnson allowed concrete to be poured before calculating if the concrete was within tolerances as required by state regulations. Johnson also falsified four reports indicating the concrete met contract specifications, when in fact it did not. Johnson was subsequently terminated from employment with SCDOT. State officials subsequently inspected the concrete and verified that it is within tolerances. Sentencing is pending. OIG investigated this case jointly with the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. |