Investigations

Wallace Batiste, Sr., and his company W.B. Construction, a MARAD contractor at the Beaumont, TX Ready Reserve Fleet, pleaded guilty in U.S. Court in Beaumont, TX to charges of submitting false bids to obtain $400,000 worth of MARAD construction and service contracts in the years 1993-1999. Batiste and the company were indicted in November, 2000 on 11 counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud. No sentencing date is scheduled. OIG conducted the investigation with assistance from FBI and Defense Department's Criminal Investigative Service.