By Debbie Gregory.
It turns out that Clayton Pressley III, a former sailor who was serving a 50 month prison sentence for stealing the identities of his subordinates, was also ripping off the Navy through an elaborate procurement fraud scheme.
Pressley, who was kicked out of the Navy after nearly 20 years, will now serve an additional two years in federal prison in connection with the $2.3 million scam, which netted him more than $644,000.
Court documents show that Pressley conspired with two others to form a sham government contracting firm in May 2014. The company was ostensibly formed to provide “inert training aids” to Navy units.
The conspirators manipulated the government procurement process to contract with themselves and signed fraudulent documentation indicating the company had delivered product when it had not.
The Navy would pay the company through intermediaries and ultimately the conspirators would distribute the proceeds among themselves.
According to court documents, an unnamed Navy officer who had purchasing authority ordered the aids from two vendors, identified as Firm D and Firm V. It is unclear whether the sales representatives knew the scope of the fraud.
Pressley used the money for travel and home goods.
“The steps taken by Mr. Pressley and others to perpetrate their scheme demonstrated remarkable cunning and deceitfulness,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David Layne said in court documents, asking for a sentence of at least three years and 10 months.
Pressley’s attorney, Bruce Sams, said his client was struggling with unspecified mental health issues at the time of his crimes and asked for leniency.
“Mr. Pressley does not really know what reasons led him to engage in his criminal conduct but has expressed his remorsefulness and repentance for having done so,” Sams said in court documents.
Pressley, who was awarded a Bronze Star “for exceptionally meritorious service during Operation Iraqi Freedom” has been ordered to pay full restitution.
