Two Santa Rosa County Men Plead Guilty to Fraud Relating to Air Force Helicopter Contracts

March 31, 2018

Pensacola, FL – Two Santa Rosa Men who were Government contractors on Hurlburt Field have pled guilty to fraud charges relating to Air Force Helicopter Contracts

Ryan Romero, 51, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, and Adam W. Fair, 42, of Navarre, Florida, pled guilty Thursday and Wednesday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud.

Evidence proffered as part of the plea showed the following: Between 2010 and 2012, “M.I.S.” and his company Simplex Corporation, were awarded contracts with the United States Air Force at Hurlburt Field Air Force Base to provide helicopters and parts. During the same period, defense contractors and subcontractors were awarded contracts with the Air Force to provide maintenance work on those helicopters. Romero was employed as maintenance manager and Fair was employed as a maintenance superintendent for one or more of these companies.

Fair and Romero used their positions to obtain kick-backs in exchange for giving favorable treatment to M.I.S. and Simplex Corporation. The favorable treatment included assisting M.I.S. in assembling and disassembling helicopters using defense contract company employees to complete the work without the company being compensated for this work. In exchange, Romero received approximately $30,000, and Fair received approximately $20,000.

The plea documents also reflect that in exchange for monthly payments of $6,000 from M.I.S., Romero and Fair agreed to provide favorable maintenance inspection reports to the Air Force on helicopters that M.I.S. and Simplex Corporation supplied. In exchange for agreeing to provide favorable reports, Romero and Fair received approximately $154,350 in kick-backs from M.I.S.

The defendants each face a maximum of 20 years in prison. The sentencing hearings are scheduled on July 18, 2018, for Fair, and on August 2, 2018, for Romero at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.