Canada: Former CEO convicted of committing major fraud against the US

The former Chief Executive Officer of a firm that specialized in the treatment and disposal of contaminated soil was convicted in the District of New Jersey of conspiring to pay kickbacks and committing major fraud against the United States in connection with obtaining subcontracts for the treatment and disposal of contaminated soil at a New Jersey Superfund site overseen by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Justice announced today.

John Bennett, of Vancouver, British Columbia, was charged with these crimes in August 2009, extradited from Canada to the United States in November 2014 to face trial, and was convicted today after a three week trial in Newark, New Jersey. Bennett was also the founder and Chairman of the Board of Bennett Environmental Inc., a firm with offices in Vancouver and Toronto.

“John Bennett corrupted the competitive bidding process by paying kickbacks in order to win a Superfund contract. He literally stole money from the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement agents, antitrust prosecutors, and colleagues in Canada who secured his extradition, a jury of his peers has held him accountable for his crimes.”

Full content: Department of Justice

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