Sergeant Bluff Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements in Connection with a Highway Project

A woman who made false statements in connection with a highway project pled guilty August 7, 2017, in federal court in Sioux City.

Jenna Danielle Wilson, 31, from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, was convicted of one count of making false statements in connection with a highway project.

At the plea hearing, Wilson admitted that between January 28, 2016, and July 28, 2016, she knowingly made false representations, false reports, and false claims with respect to the cost of work performed or to be performed or materials furnished or to be furnished in connection with the construction of a highway or related project approved by the Secretary of Transportation. Wilson, while an officer of K&L Inc., submitted falsified Expanded Polystyrene Fill (EPS) invoices to general contractor, Godbersen-Smith Co., and ultimately, the Iowa Department of Transportation for stockpiled materials on the I-29 Sioux Interchange Project. In all, Wilson fraudulently increased the amounts on the Benchmark invoices by $807,637.10. Wilson’s fraudulent actions, in effect, amounted to Wilson wrongfully writing K&L a no-interest loan, in attempt to remedy K&L’s cash-flow problems. Depending on the methodology employed in the accounting analysis, (FIFO or LIFO) the interest cost Wilson saved K&L, through her fraudulent actions, was $34,432.02 or $34,501.61, respectively.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Wilson remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing. Wilson faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Bowers and was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 17-4045. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.