WASHINGTON ― A federal procurement officer allegedly defrauded a Department of Energy owned nuclear facility out of $2.3 million.
A former Sandia National Laboratories procurement officer received an 11-count indictment concerning the fraudulent appropriation of a federal contract. SNL is a DOE nuclear research and development facility operated by Sandia Corporation where Carla Sena was an employee.
In 2010, Sena was assigned by Sandia to manage its bidding process for an SNL moving services contract. But instead of going along with procedure, Sena allegedly created New Mexico Express Movers LLC, prepared a bid on the fake company’s behalf and submitted it to Sandia under someone else’s name.
Sena had possibly also used her position at Sandia to obfuscate Movers LLC material misrepresentation and leverage other bidders’ information to better ensure her fake company’s contract reward. Furthermore, she allegedly laundered $643,000 of fraudulently obtained funds through her father’s businesses ala negotiated checks between December 2011 and April 2015.
The whole scheme resulted in Movers LLC fraudulently receiving $2.3 million in DOE funds. Sena is currently charged with three counts of wire fraud, one count of major fraud against the U.S. and seven counts of money laundering.
