A Worcester man admitted Wednesday in federal court he created a fictitious uniform manufacturing company while serving as a contractor in Afghanistan, a company that he and others used to defraud the U.S. government of more than $120,000.
Dimitry Jean-Noel, 42, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the government. Mr. Jean-Noel, who is listed in court papers as living at 42 Seminole Drive, was arraigned moments before tendering his guilty plea.
Court records show that Mr. Jean-Noel reached a plea agreement in October regarding his involvement in the scheme, which prosecutors said took place in 2008 and 2009.
Department of Justice Special Trial Attorney Mark H. Dubester, who flew up from Washington, D.C., along with two investigators, told Judge Timothy S. Hillman Wednesday that Mr. Jean-Noel concocted the scheme along with several co-workers at PAE Inc., a prominent government contractor.
Mr. Dubester said that as part of its commitment to help Afghanistan modernize its criminal justice system, the U.S. contracted PAE to train Afghan nationals to become prison guards.
PAE was also contracted to provide the Afghans uniforms upon completion of their training, Mr. Dubester said. In order to do that, he said, PAE ordered the uniforms it needed and then was reimbursed by the government.
Mr. Dubester said the scheme involved Mr. Jean-Noel, who worked in procurement for PAE in Afghanistan, and a Florida man, Alan D. Simmons, who worked on the training end. The two men conspired with an Afghan national who worked as an interpreter for PAE to create a fake uniform manufacturing company that had an Afghan name and Afghan bank account, Mr. Dubester said.
