Straw Owners: Posing as a Woman, a Minority, a Disabled Person and a Veteran

For over a decade, Boykin Contracting used straw owners posing as a woman, a minority, a disabled person and a veteran to qualify for $160M in set-aside contracts. 51 months.

Over a decade-long scheme, executive Thomas Brock used various straw owners inside Boykin Contracting to pose as a female, an African-American, a disabled person and a veteran so the company qualified for SBA and VA set-aside contracts.

He illegally acquired the contracts and siphoned company money to support a lavish lifestyle. The scheme collapsed when Brock fraudulently acquired loans to cover company losses and fell behind on repayments, triggering a civil lawsuit and a criminal investigation.

Brock pleaded guilty to wire fraud. SBA, DCIS and VA investigators worked the case.

"used various straw-owners within the company to pose as a female, an African-American, a disabled person, and a veteran"
— U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina. Case file in the VA Fraud case files — part of the VA Fraud record. Cases are published as the courts decided them; amounts are stated as the Justice Department states them (billed, stolen, or ordered in restitution, as labeled).