Summary

On June 11, 2013 , in U.S. District Court, Washington, DC, Luis Rodriguez was sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation, a $100 special assessment, and 200 hours of community service. In March, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to false statements in conjunction with a contract proposal he submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration (MARAD).

OIG's investigation revealed that Rodriguez submitted a proposal to a MARAD official, under the business name Guardian, for a lucrative contract providing maritime security services to combat Somali pirates attacking private merchant vessels off the African Coast.  Throughout the proposal, Rodriguez included numerous false representations concerning Guardian's capacity to carry-out the proposal's mission.  For example, Rodriguez indicated that his company could provide a private army of 3,000 men; however, his company did not have any employees.