Oklahoma City Lab Worker Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes in Exchange for Allowing Submission of Fraudulent Urine Samples for Drug Testing

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – JASON MICHAEL GOMEZ, 38, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty today to accepting a bribe in return for committing a fraud on the United States, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

On May 1, 2017, Gomez was charged by information with one count of bribery. Gomez worked in Oklahoma City as a urinalysis collector for Catalyst Behavioral Services (CBS), which contracts with the United States Probation Office to provide drug testing and treatment services for individuals supervised by U.S. Probation. As part of his job, Gomez collected urine specimens from individuals required to undergo court-ordered drug testing as a condition of their supervision. According to the information, from June 2016 until February 6, 2017, Gomez solicited and accepted cash payments in exchange for allowing individuals to smuggle into CBS "clean" urine samples for drug testing, rather than requiring individuals to provide their own urine sample. Gomez also falsely certified on U.S. Probation Office chain of custody forms that he had observed individuals provide their own samples.

At his plea hearing today, Gomez admitted that he accepted cash bribes in exchange for allowing individuals under U.S. Probation supervision to provide fraudulent urine samples for drug testing. Gomez also admitted that he submitted false chain of custody forms to the U.S. Probation Office.

At sentencing, Gomez faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry.