FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTAUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885

FEBRUARY 12, 2007

FORMER ACCOUNTING MANAGER SENTENCED FOR USING COMPANY FUNDS FOR PERSONAL BENEFIT

Bought Wizard Season Tickets, Cruise and Obtained Cash

Greenbelt, Maryland - Michelle Gordon, age 36, of College Park, Maryland, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for committing wire fraud arising from several schemes to use employer funds for her personal benefit, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow also ordered Gordon to pay restitution of $145,070.

According to the plea agreement presented to the court on November 9, 2006, Gordon was employed by Applied Fire Protection Services, Inc. (AFPS) from July 1999 to September 2005, first as an accounting clerk, and then as the accounting manager. Gordon was responsible for accounts payable, and had control over company credit cards, company bank accounts and the company’s accounting system.

From November 2001 to October 2004, Gordon used a company credit card to make unauthorized purchases of $121,969 for her personal benefit, her family, or friends. These purchases included consumer goods, doctor’s visits, Washington Wizard season tickets, and a cruise for herself and her husband. To pay off these personal credit card charges, Gordon telephoned the credit card bank in Omaha, Nebraska to provide account information needed to debit the AFPS bank account at Sandy Spring Bank.

In a similar scheme, Gordon used another company credit card from July, 2004 to August 2005 to make unauthorized purchases of $9,060 for personal vehicle repairs and expenses, for the benefit of herself, her family or friends. Gordon paid off these personal credit card charges by using company bank accounts at BB&T Bank.

From November 2004 to September 2005, Gordon wrote unauthorized checks totaling $18,592 to herself or to “Cash” from two AFPS checking accounts, endorsed the checks, and deposited the proceeds into her personal bank account. To hide this fraudulent activity, Gordon falsified journal entries in the AFPS computerized accounting system and the AFPS manual accounting ledger in order to make it appear that the checks were payments to actual AFPS vendors.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the investigative work performed by the U.S. Secret Service. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dunne, who is prosecuting the case.