VP native sentenced for $1.6M VA contract scheme in Texas

A Ville Platte native pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving money transfers between 2012 and 2018.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Henry Guillory, 55 of Pearland, Texas, admitted “he hired a disabled veteran to pose as his business partner to land a dozen lucrative U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contracts.”
In the Texas newspaper it stated that, “The pair then landed 12 set-aside contracts for maintenance and construction work at the DeBakey VA Medical Center, and that “Guillory made $450,000 in the scheme.” According to the story, “He (Guillory) gave Chizer $38,000.”
The six-year scam began in November of 2012, “when Guillory and Chizer registered a business, MEP Sales and Service in Harris County.” The following April, “they filled out a form claiming Chizer was a service-disabled veteran with majority ownership of the company.”
According to The Houston Chronicle, “Veteran’s Affairs awarded the company 12 small business set-aside contracts with a value of more than $1.6 million.”
While Guillory’s plea was entered back in May of this year, he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett in August. The Houston Chronicle reported that Guillory was sentenced “to one year in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. The judge also ordered the former contractor to repay $450,781.99 to the regional office of Veterans Affairs. (Judge) Bennett allowed Guillory to remain free on bail until he is summoned to report to federal authorities.”
Chizer, 56, of Pearland, Tx., also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced in July to two years of federal probation.