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Five Former Michigan Executives Get Federal Prison in MDOT Overbilling Scheme

The case centers on abuse of DBE status to inflate costs on federally funded Michigan highway projects.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington sentenced Andrew Semenchuk and Jeffrey Bartlett to 15 months, Adam Ball and Brian Bartlett to one year and a day, and Anthony Thelen to six months.
  • The court ordered $4,571,800 in restitution to the Michigan Department of Transportation and forfeitures totaling $4,073,200.
  • Prosecutors said the men operated Surveying Solutions Inc. from 2011 to 2019 and used affiliated entities—2SI, 3SI, and Southfield IT—to inflate rentals, leases, and IT charges.
  • The overbilling involved false employee and technology costs and concealed control of the company while the MDOT contracts were paid largely with U.S. Department of Transportation funds.
  • Court records note earlier recoveries, including SSI’s $1.1 million penalty under a non-prosecution agreement and a separate commitment to reimburse MDOT about $5.89 million.