March 27, 2025 – Washington, D.C. – Four individuals and one company have pleaded guilty to bid rigging and wire fraud conspiracies that affected the sale of sports equipment to hundreds of public schools in Mississippi and Louisiana.
The guilty pleas, entered between February and March 2025, involved fraudulent bidding practices that manipulated procurement processes and inflated costs for schools. Wilder Fitness Equipment Inc. and four individuals—Patrick Joseph Stewart, Maurice Daniel Bowering Jr., Robert Tucker Craig, and Robert Douglas Heflin—admitted to submitting complementary bids to secure contracts unfairly. The schemes lasted for more than a decade.
The Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) led the investigation, with support from federal prosecutors and the FBI. Officials condemned the crimes, emphasizing the harm to taxpayers and students. The defendants face significant penalties, including up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and obstruction.
The Justice Department encourages anyone with information on procurement fraud to report it via the PCSF website.
