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October 18, 2011
DA 11-1733
SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
AND EMAIL
Mr. Jeremy R. Sheets
c/o Mr. Martin E. Crandall
Clark Hill PLC
500 Woodward Ave., Suite 3500
Detroit, MI 48226-3435
Re: Notice of Suspension and Initiation of Debarment Proceedings,
File No. EB-11-IH-1122
Dear Mr. Sheets:
The Federal Communications Commission ("Commission") has received notice
of your conviction of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C S: 1343 in
connection with your participation in the federal schools and libraries
universal service support mechanism ("E-Rate program"). Consequently,
pursuant to 47 C.F.R. S: 54.8, this letter constitutes official notice of
your suspension from the E-Rate program. In addition, the Enforcement
Bureau ("Bureau") hereby notifies you that the Bureau will commence
debarment proceedings against you.
I. Notice of Suspension
The Commission established procedures to prevent persons who have
"defrauded the government or engaged in similar acts through activities
associated with or related to the schools and libraries support mechanism"
from receiving the benefits associated with that program. The E-Rate
program rules require school applicants to pay a percentage of the total
cost of eligible goods and services requested for funding. To ensure a
fair and competitive bidding process, the E-Rate program rules also
prohibit a service provider from soliciting or offering gifts or donations
to a school applicant, and likewise prohibit a school applicant from
accepting gifts or donations from a service provider participating in the
E-Rate program, with the exception of certain de minimis gifts or
charitable donations unrelated to E-Rate procurement activities.
On January 24, 2011, you pled guilty to wire fraud in connection with a
scheme you devised and participated in to defraud the federal E-Rate
program. For a six-year period beginning in December 2001, as president
and co-owner of CMS Internet LLC ("CMS") you induced two prospective
school district applicants in Western Michigan to hire CMS as their E-Rate
vendor by (1) falsely representing to the applicants that they could
participate in the program at no cost to them; (2) compensating the school
districts for their E-Rate expenses with either purported "donations" or
"leasing payments" that were calculated to coincide with the amount of
each school's non-discounted share of E-Rate expenses; and (3) submitting
materially false and fraudulent applications to order ineligible and
undisclosed goods and services that were paid for out of overcharges to
the E-Rate program. In further violation of the E-Rate rules, you gave
gifts to a school district employee that included a wide screen television
and entertainment system, which you paid for through overcharges to the
E-Rate program.
Furthermore, in responding to an audit conducted in 2006 by the Universal
Service Administration Company ("USAC"), you transmitted by electronic
mail fraudulent invoices that falsely stated a school district applicant
had paid its share of E-Rate program expenses during 2006-2007. In
addition, you failed to disclose that E-Rate funding was used to purchase
ineligible goods and services. Finally, you obstructed a 2007 federal
grand jury investigation by instructing a CMS employee to testify falsely
before the grand jury about receiving gifts, and to destroy E-Rate program
records and remove the hard drives located on that employee's work and
home computer in exchange for new computer hard drives. Your scheme caused
the E-Rate program to suffer an estimated loss between $30,000 and
$70,000. These actions constitute the conduct or transactions upon which
this suspension notice and debarment proceeding are based.
On June 21, 2011, the United States District Court for the Western
District of Michigan sentenced you to serve 15 months in prison followed
by two years of supervised release for defrauding the federal E-Rate
program. The court also prohibited you from "having any involvement with
any government-backed or federally-regulated programs during the course of
supervision." Finally, the court ordered you to pay a $12,000 fine, in
addition to compensating USAC by paying $115,534 in restitution.
Pursuant to section 54.8(b) of the Commission's rules, upon your
conviction, the Bureau is required to suspend you from participating in
any activities associated with or related to the schools and libraries
support mechanism, including the receipt of funds or discounted services
through the schools and libraries support mechanism, or consulting with,
assisting, or advising applicants or service providers regarding the
schools and libraries support mechanism. Your suspension becomes effective
upon receipt of this letter or publication of the notice in the Federal
Register, whichever comes first.
In accordance with the Commission's debarment rules, you may contest this
suspension or the scope of this suspension by filing arguments, with any
relevant documents, within 30 calendar days after receipt of this letter
or after a notice is published in the Federal Register, whichever comes
first. Such requests, however, will not ordinarily be granted. The Bureau
may reverse or limit the scope of suspension only upon a finding of
extraordinary circumstances. Absent extraordinary circumstances, the
Bureau will decide any request to reverse or modify a suspension within 90
calendar days of its receipt of such request.
II. Initiation of Debarment Proceedings
As discussed above, your guilty plea and conviction of criminal conduct in
connection with the E-Rate program serves as a basis for immediate
suspension from the program, as well as a basis to commence debarment
proceedings against you. Conviction of criminal fraud is cause for
debarment. Therefore, pursuant to section 54.8(b) of the rules, your
conviction requires the Bureau to commence debarment proceedings against
you.
As with the suspension process, you may contest the proposed debarment or
the scope of the proposed debarment by filing arguments and any relevant
documentation within 30 calendar days of receipt of this letter or
publication in the Federal Register, whichever comes first. The Bureau, in
the absence of extraordinary circumstances, will notify you of its
decision to debar within 90 calendar days of receiving any information you
may have filed. If the Bureau decides to debar you, its decision will
become effective upon either your receipt of a debarment notice or
publication of the decision in the Federal Register, whichever comes
first.
If and when your debarment becomes effective, you will be prohibited from
participating in activities associated with or related to the schools and
libraries support mechanism for three years from the date of debarment.
The Bureau may set a longer debarment period or extend an existing
debarment period if necessary to protect the public interest.
Please direct any response, if sent by messenger or hand delivery, to
Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th
Street, S.W., Room TW-A325, Washington, D.C. 20554, to the attention of
Joy M. Ragsdale, Attorney Advisor, Investigations and Hearings Division,
Enforcement Bureau, Room 4-A236, with a copy to Theresa Z. Cavanaugh,
Acting Division Chief, Investigations and Hearings Division, Enforcement
Bureau, Room 4-C322, Federal Communications Commission. All messenger or
hand delivery filings must be submitted without envelopes. If sent by
commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Express
Mail and Priority Mail), the response must be sent to the Federal
Communications Commission, 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights,
Maryland 20743. If sent by USPS First Class, Express Mail, or Priority
Mail, the response should be addressed to Joy Ragsdale, Attorney Advisor,
Investigations and Hearings Division, Enforcement Bureau, Federal
Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 4-A236, Washington,
D.C. 20554, with a copy to Theresa Z. Cavanaugh, Acting Division Chief,
Investigations and Hearings Division, Enforcement Bureau, Federal
Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 4-C322, Washington,
D.C. 20554. You shall also transmit a copy of your response via e-mail to
Joy M. Ragsdale, joy.ragsdale@fcc.gov and to Theresa Z. Cavanaugh,
Terry.Cavanaugh@fcc.gov.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ragsdale via U.S. postal
mail, e-mail, or by telephone at (202) 418-7931. You may contact me at
(202) 418-1420 or at the email addressed noted above if Ms. Ragsdale is
unavailable.
Sincerely yours,
Theresa Z. Cavanaugh
Acting Chief
Investigations and Hearings Division
Enforcement Bureau
cc: Johnnay Schrieber, Universal Service Administrative Company (via
e-mail)
Rashann Duvall, Universal Service Administrative Company (via email)
Jason C. Turner, Antitrust Division, United States Department of Justice
(via email)
Jennifer M. Dixton, Antitrust Division, United States Department of
Justice (via email)
Meagan D. Johnson, Antitrust Division, United States Department of Justice
(via email)
Any further reference in this letter to "your conviction" refers to your
conviction in United States v. Jeremy R. Sheets, Criminal Docket No.
1:10-cr-380-1, Judgment (W.D. Mi. 2011) ("Judgment").
47 C.F.R. S: 54.8; 47 C.F.R. S: 0.111 (delegating to the Enforcement
Bureau authority to resolve universal service suspension and debarment
proceedings). The Commission adopted debarment rules for the schools and
libraries universal service support mechanism in 2003. See Schools and
Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism, Second Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 18 FCC Rcd 9202 (2003) ("Second
Report and Order") (adopting section 54.521 to suspend and debar parties
from the E-rate program). In 2007 the Commission extended the debarment
rules to apply to all Federal universal service support mechanisms.
Comprehensive Review of the Universal Service Fund Management,
Administration, and Oversight; Federal-State Joint Board on Universal
Service; Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism; Rural
Health Care Support Mechanism; Lifeline and Link Up; Changes to the Board
of Directors for the National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc., Report
and Order, 22 FCC Rcd 16372 App. C at 16410-12 (2007) (Program Management
Order) (section 54.521 of the universal service debarment rules was
renumbered as section 54.8 and subsections (a)(1), (5), (c), (d),
(e)(2)(i), (3), (e)(4), and (g) were amended.)
Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at 9225, P: 66; Program Management
Order, 22 FCC Rcd at 16387, P: 32. The Commission's debarment rules define
a "person" as "[a]ny individual, group of individuals, corporation,
partnership, association, unit of government or legal entity, however
organized." 47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(a)(6).
47 C.F.R. S: 54.503 (2010).
47 C.F.R. S: 54.503(d) (2010). See also, Schools and Libraries Universal
Service Support Mechanism, A National Broadband Plan for Our Future, Sixth
Report and Order, 25 FCC Rcd 18762 P:P: 88-90 (2010), clarified by,
Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism, A National
Broadband Plan for Our Future, Order, 25 FCC Rcd 17324 (2010).
United States v. Jeremy R. Sheets, Case No. 1:10-cr-380, Criminal Minute
Sheet (W.D. Mi. 2011). See Justice News, Dep't of Justice, Michigan
Businessman Sentenced to 15 months in Prison for Defrauding the Federal
E-Rate Program, July 18, 2011, at
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/July/11-at-935.html ("Press Release").
CMS Internet, LLC provides internet access and related technology services
to various school districts that participate in the federal E-Rate
program. See U.S. v. Sheets, Case No. 1:10-cr-380, Felony Information at 1
(W.D. Mi. 2010) ("Felony Information").
United States v. Jeremy R. Sheets, Case No. 1:10-cr-380, Plea Agreement at
3 (W.D. Mi. 2010) ("Plea Agreement").
In July 2004, Mr. Sheets donated $20,458.25 to one school district, and
purported to "lease" the other school district's radio towers with the
intent to repay the school districts for their share of E-Rate expenses.
Id.; Felony Information at 3.
Plea Agreement at 4.
Id. at 5.
Id.
Id. at 5-7.
Id. at 4.
Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at 9226, P: 70; 47 C.F.R. S:
54.8(e)(2)(i).
Judgment at 3.
Id. A condition of your supervised release includes forfeiting all
monetary claims pending under contract with other E-Rate school
applicants. Telephone Conversation with Jason Turner, Lead Counsel, Dep't
of Justice, Antitrust Division (Aug. 10, 2011).
Judgment at 5. You were also ordered to immediately pay a $100 Special
Assessment. Id.
47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(a)(4). See Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at
9225-9227, P:P: 67-74.
47 C.F.R. S:S: 54.8(a)(1), (d).
Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at 9226, P: 69; 47 C.F.R. S:
54.8(e)(1).
47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(e)(4).
Id.
47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(f).
Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at 9226, P: 70; 47 C.F.R. S:S:
54.8(e)(5), (f).
"Causes for suspension and debarment are conviction of or civil judgment
for attempt or commission of criminal fraud, theft, embezzlement, forgery,
bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements,
receiving stolen property, making false claims, obstruction of justice and
other fraud or criminal offense arising out of activities associated with
or related to the schools and libraries support mechanism, the high-cost
support mechanism, the rural healthcare support mechanism, and the
low-income support mechanism." 47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(c). Associated activities
"include the receipt of funds or discounted services through [the Federal
universal service] support mechanisms, or consulting with, assisting, or
advising applicants or service providers regarding [the Federal universal
service] support mechanisms." 47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(a)(1).
47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(b).
Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at 9226, P: 70; 47 C.F.R. S:
54.8(e)(3).
Id., 18 FCC Rcd at 9226, P: 70; 47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(e)(5).
Id. The Commission may reverse a debarment, or may limit the scope or
period of debarment upon a finding of extraordinary circumstances,
following the filing of a petition by you or an interested party or upon
motion by the Commission. 47 C.F.R. S: 54.8(f).
Second Report and Order, 18 FCC Rcd at 9225, P: 67; 47 C.F.R. S:S:
54.8(d), (g).
Id.
See FCC Public Notice, DA 09-2529 for further filing instructions (rel.
Dec. 3, 2009).
Jeremy R. Sheets
October 18, 2011
Page 2 of 5
Federal Communications Commission
Enforcement Bureau
Investigations and Hearings Division
445 12th Street, SW, Suite 4-C330
Washington, D.C. 20554