Blog 10 Ex-Hill Manager Got $1.2M In Bribery And Bid Rigging

1. THE CORRUPT U.S. AIR FORCE CHEATING U.S. VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES CHEATING SERVICE DISABLE VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES CHEATING U.S. SMALL BUSINESSES Ex-Hill Manager Got Nearly $1.2 Million In Bribery And Bid Rigging Jose Mendez Sylvester and Maria Zugrav Atlas International Trading Company SUMMARY A Farr West man, Jose Mendez and Florida couple Sylvester Zugrav and Maria Zugrav, both of Sarasota, Florida. are involved in the indictment and accused of violating the Procurement Integrity and the contract bid process at Hill Air Force Base.

2. 1/18/2014 Utah Local News - Salt Lake City News, Sports, Archive - The Salt Lake Tribune News What can we help you find? SEARCH Salt Lake City 19° Fog/Mist | Traffic Saturday, January 18, 2014 | Last Updated: 01:01 am News Sports Blogs Opinion Money Lifestyle Entertainment Obituaries Jobs Homes Cars Marketplace Deals Subscribe Utah Nation + World Politics Justice Polygamy LDS Church Education Weather UtahsRight.com TribTalk Kirby Rolly $49 LLC Formation incfile.com/Easy_LLC_Today Get breaking news alerts via email email address SIGN UP Click here to manage your alerts Form an LLC - 3 Easy Steps. Free 1st Year Registered Agent! FBI: Ex-Hill manager got nearly $1.2M in bribery, bid- rigging Most Popular Stories 1. George Takei uses his voice to go where other gay activists can’t be heard Police: Lindon police officer responsible for Spanish Fork murder-suicide Mitt Romney documentary kicks off Sundance in Salt Lake City Sundance red carpet photos: ‘Camp X-Ray’ with Kristen Stewart premiere ‘Mitt’ will be on Netflix before Sundance is over Trey Burke leads Jazz in 110-89 victory over Pistons Op-ed: Time to reform unemployment insurance California governor proclaims state in a drought Kragthorpe: Broncos hope secondary comes to fore vs. Patriots 10. Weekend Express: Free national parks, Bluff balloons, Sundance 2. 3. 4. BY MELINDA ROGERS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Federal court • Former employee traded budget data for nearly $1.2 million in cash. 5. 6. PUBLISHED OCTOBER 25, 2011 9:32 AM 7. 8. 9. This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted. The messages were sent with code names uncovered by FBI agents on the hard drive of a Hill Air Force Base manager's computer. Article Tools "Dear Jugo, I'm getting ready to purchase a new vehicle for 21K and was wondering if you could help?" states one of the messages, signed with the moniker "Chuco." Print Friendly After months of investigating, the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations would learn that "Chuco" is 50-year-old Jose Mendez — a Farr West resident and program manager at the base who allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for rigging bids. Mendez revealed budget data to prospective vendors vying for contracts in various military divisions at the base, allowing competitors to undercut each other's bids during the process, charging documents state. In exchange for his services, he received close to $1.2 million in cash payments, some of which was sent to an account in Mexico, officials say. Earlier this month Mendez was indicted in U.S. District Court on felony counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and procurement fraud. He is also charged with bribery and procurement fraud, separate from the conspiracy charges. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to his role in the crimes before U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball. He could face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in February. Besides Mendez, a Florida couple were named in the indictment and accused of illegally tinkering with the contract bid process at Hill Air Force Base. Sylvester Zugrav, 68, and Maria Zugrav, 66, both of Sarasota, Fla., are accused of offering Mendez money and valuables in exchange for competitor bid information. The Zugravs were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges, but have denied any wrongdoing. "We're not guilty, and we'll prove it in court," Sylvester Zugrav previously told The Salt Lake Tribune. "We are victims of a scheme that came from Hill Air Force Base. They took advantage of us. He [Mendez] took advantage of his position there." SLCDailyDeal.com Zugrav said that Mendez claimed to be from Juarez, Mexico, and said he would kill the Zugravs if they didn't cooperate with him and comply with his requests for cash. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52772886-78/mendez-zugrav-force-zugravs.html.csp 1/10

3. 1/18/2014 Utah Local News - Salt Lake City News, Sports, Archive - The Salt Lake Tribune $34 RASPBERRY KEYTONES WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS! VIEW DEAL Mendez worked as a program manager for the U.S. Air Force Foreign Materials Acquisition Support Office, which purchases foreign military materials on behalf of U.S. military divisions. His employment was terminated following the indictment. The materials are acquired outside the U.S. by third-party companies or vendors and then purchased by the Support Office on behalf of the military, according to the indictment. A limited number of vendors are permitted to contract, one of which is Atlas International Trading Corp., which is run by the Zugravs. Jobs An affidavit unsealed last week documents the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations probe into Mendez's relationship with the Zugravs, including a series of emails requesting money. In the emails, Mendez uses the name "Chuco" and Sylvester Zugrav uses the name "Jugo." National Assoc For Home Care & Hosp Executive Assistant Company: Nati... Beehive Insurance Agency Insurance - Excellent Opportunity For... When FBI agents interviewed Mendez about accepting bribes, he told them that Sylvester Zugrav offered him $100,000 if Mendez could assure that Atlas would secure a particular contract, according to the affidavit. Community Nursing Services Join Our Professional Home Health Tea... Community Nursing Services Join Our Professional Home Health Tea... Mendez initially rebuffed Zugrav's offer, telling the man that he didn't want money wired to him because he feared having an electronic record showing that he had accepted bribes. Nuvek, Llc Nuvek, Llc Located In American Fork, ... Zugrav balked at paying Mendez $100,000 in cash, saying it would "look too suspicious" if he took out a large sum of money from the bank, the affidavit states. The two men then arranged to have several smaller cash payments paid out to Mendez through Maria Zugrav — a NASA scientist who also handled finances for Atlas. The Zugravs used FedEx to deliver packages containing $5,000 to Mendez's home address, according to the affidavit. Financial documents uncovered by the FBI show that Mendez received $49,050 in cash sent to his home through FedEx from November 2009 to June 2011. He also received $103,900 that was put into accounts in Mexico and another $13,600 that Sylvester Zugrav dropped off in person, the affidavit states. Mendez was set to receive another $660,000 in bribes from the Zugravs for future contracts that had not yet been awarded to the couple's business, the affidavit states. The Zugravs are to appear in court for arraignments on Thursday before Kimball. Mendez declined to comment on the case following his court hearing on Monday. mrogers@sltrib.com Twitter: @mrogers_trib — Bribery case could draw prison time for defendants A Farr West man and Florida couple indicted in a bribery scheme involving contracts at Hill Air Force Base face lengthy penalties if convicted, including: A maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy. A maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for procurement fraud. A maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for bribery. 84 comments 0 Join the discussion… Oldest Share This comment was deleted. turbulator It was the Military version of Fast and Furious •2 years ago ShowMeStateUte • Reply • Share › http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52772886-78/mendez-zugrav-force-zugravs.html.csp 2/10