DOJ Procurement Collusion Strike Force Earns Conviction

On June 7, 2021, under the terms of a plea agreement, Judge Louise Flanagan of the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ordered Contech Engineered Solutions LLC (Contech) to pay a $7 million criminal fine and more than $1.5 million in restitution after the company pleaded guilty to one count of bid-rigging and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme involving the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) bid solicitation process. The plea resolves a six-count federal antitrust and fraud indictment against Contech, although the charges remain pending against Contech's co-defendant and former executive Brent Brewbaker. As part of the plea agreement, Contech avoided a term of probation by agreeing to improve its compliance program. The NCDOT investigation remains ongoing, and Contech also agreed to produce documents and make witnesses available as the Antitrust Division of the Department of