Federal Grand Jury Indictment

Contac Persont: Beth Drake (803) 929-3000

Columbia, South Carolina ----- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Columbia, South Carolina, returned an Indictment(s) against the following:

Maryland Man Indicted for Wire Fraud
Charles  Brown, age 53, of Laurel, Maryland was charged in a 17-count indictment with Wire Fraud, a violation of Title 18, U. S. C. §1343. The indictment charges that, between in or about March of 2009, and continuing to in or about October 2012, Mr. Brown devised scheme to defraud the United States and to obtain money and property from the United States by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. The indictment alleges that scheme involved The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business  Concern  Procurement Program.

The maximum penalty Brown could receive is 20 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000.  The case was investigated by agents of the Veterans Administration OIG and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney John Potterfield of the Columbia office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this Indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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