A former FBI electronics technician and his sister have been charged with conspiring to defraud the United States. Jeffrey Spencer, 51, from Canyon Country, and Christy Evereklian, 43, from Temecula, are accused of obtaining at least $350,000 in low-bid electronics equipment contracts from the FBI through deceitful means.
The charges were filed via a single-count information for conspiracy to defraud the United States. Both Spencer and Evereklian have agreed to plead guilty to this felony offense. The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. They are expected to enter their guilty pleas in the coming weeks at the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to plea agreements, between August 2015 and August 2020, Spencer and Evereklian conspired to manipulate the bidding process for electronic equipment contracts. Spencer, as an FBI procurement official responsible for soliciting bids, worked with Evereklian to submit seemingly independent competitive bids from several companies controlled by her.
In reality, they predetermined which company would offer the lowest bid likely to win the contract. To conceal her involvement with these companies, Evereklian submitted bids using relatives’ names and employed a random number generator to create fraudulent bids.
Evereklian admitted that during this period her companies secured at least $350,000 worth of contracts from the FBI.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General as part of its Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF). Assistant United States Attorney Jason Pang of the General Crimes Section is handling the prosecution.
