Former and Present Owners of Standish Surveying Company Plead Guilty in Scheme to Defraud the United States Department of Transportation

BAY CITY – Jeffrey Bartlett and Brian Bartlett, current owners and executives of Surveying Solutions Inc. (SSI), a surveying firm based in Standish, Michigan, and Andrew Semenchuk, a former owner and executive of SSI, have pleaded guilty today to defrauding the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced.

Gorgon is joined in this announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michigan Division, and Anthony Licari, Special Agent in Charge United States Department of Transportation – Midwestern Region.

Jeffrey Bartlett, 52, of Standish, Michigan, Andrew Semenchuk, 53, of Rives Junction, Michigan, and Brian Bartlett, 50, of Bentley, Michigan pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. According to facts made public at the plea hearings, from approximately February 2011 through July 2019, the Bartletts, Semenchuk, and two others owned and operated SSI, a surveying company that was directly or indirectly awarded millions of dollars in highway construction contracts by MDOT. Those contracts were funded almost entirely by federal funds through USDOT.  In the course of seeking and participating in MDOT contracts and reimbursement for work performed on those contracts, the Bartletts, Semenchuk, and two others engaged in fraudulent overbilling resulting in MDOT making millions of dollars of overpayments to SSI, a large portion of which the Bartletts, Semenchuk, and two others distributed among themselves. This fraudulent overbilling included reporting false and non-existent employee and information technology costs, reporting improper and inflated equipment and real property lease costs, and concealing the true ownership of and control over the SSI entities to justify the overbillings.   

“Today’s guilty plea highlights a calculated attempt to exploit the competitive contracting process for personal enrichment,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “Fraud of this nature erodes public trust, undermines the integrity of government programs, and unfairly disadvantages honest businesses. I want to commend the dedicated agents of our Bay City Resident Agency for their thorough and meticulous investigative efforts. The FBI in Michigan remains steadfast in our commitment to work alongside our law enforcement partners to uncover complex financial crimes and ensure those responsible are held fully accountable under the law.”

“Contracting with the United States government demands fairness and integrity,” said Anthony Licari, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “Our agents will continue to collaborate closely with law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to identify and dismantle fraud schemes that undermine public trust and compromise DOT-funded programs in Michigan and across the nation.”

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen L. Reyolds, T. Patrick Martin, William Vailliencourt, and K. Craig Welkener.