Former WMATA Official Sentenced To Prison For $1.3M Procurement Scheme

ARLINGTON, VA — An Arlington man was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in the manipulation of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s procurement process in favor of a company that was paid more than $1.3 million for items and services, according to federal officials.

Scottie Borders, 61, a former senior manager for WMATA, pleaded guilty last September in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper sentenced Borders to 24 months of supervised release and restitution of $430,177.

In his job as a senior program manager for WMATA, Borders was involved in the selection, award and administration of the agency’s contracts with various vendors, contractors and suppliers.

The charge against Borders involved payments to a firm identified in court documents as “Company 1.” The company, based in Millville, New Jersey, was a producer and supplier of traffic signs and safety products to WMATA.

From January 2011 through September 2020, Borders and others engaged in a scheme “to unlawfully enrich themselves by securing the selection, award, and administration of contracts, bids, and purchase agreements between 'Company 1' and WMATA for various traffic signs and safety products based on materially false representations made to WMATA, via wire, concerning the nature of the contracts, bids, and purchase agreements involving 'Company 1' and others,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

During the nearly 10-year period, WMATA paid the company more than $1.3 million for various services and items, including poles, decals, bus stop signs, flags and tools, the federal officials said. In exchange for facilitating these fraudulent bids and orders on behalf of WMATA, Borders was provided with items of value, including NFL tickets, by people affiliated with the company, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Borders was the primary point of contact for all business conducted between WMATA and the company. Federal officials said he manipulated bids for items and services in favor of the company.

For example, Borders and his co-conspirators falsified price quotes and bids on behalf of companies that either did not submit bids to do business with WMATA or did not know that their information was being used in connection with WMATA bids, federal officials said.

Borders also provided people at the company with information about potential competitors’ bids. “The purported quotes and fraudulent bid proposals were made up to ensure that the company secured the lucrative WMATA purchase orders and contracts at issue,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Borders also oversaw purchase orders on behalf of WMATA for equipment from the company that he knew was unnecessary, substandard, or was never provided to WMATA, federal officials said.