The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) reported on February 9 that a Texas jury convicted Rafael Adame, former president and owner of ATE Tel Solutions, of submitting fraudulent E-rate invoices to USAC. Mr. Adame received over $100,000 from USAC due to his invoicing scheme. The Antitrust Division of the U.S. DoJ has other ongoing E-rate investigations. The DoJ reported that their investigations have:
"…yielded charges being filed against 14 individuals and 12 companies. Six companies and four individuals have either been found guilty at trial, pleaded guilty, agreed to plead guilty, or have entered civil settlements. The defendants have collectively agreed to pay criminal fines and restitution totaling more than $40 million. Two of the individuals have each been sentenced to serve six years in prison."
