Mo. Contract Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Program
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A western Missouri contractor who claimed to be a wounded war hero has pleaded guilty in Kansas to defrauding a federal program that steers business to companies owned by disabled veterans.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Kansas says 70-year-old Warren Parker, of Blue Springs, Mo., pleaded guilty Monday to five counts including major program fraud and money laundering.
Parker admitted his company, Silver Star Construction LLC, received roughly $7.5 million in government contracts reserved for businesses owned by disabled vets.
Prosecutors say Parker served in the Missouri National Guard from 1963 through 1968, but spent only six months on active duty to attend basic training and his military occupational school.
He could face up to 30 years in prison on the conspiracy charge.