Gulfport, Miss. - Fred James Wheat Porterfield, 24, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was sentenced in federal court today to 39 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for conspiracy to submit false claims to the United States, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Brian Swords announced. Porterfield was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $139,671.29 to the U.S. Navy and he must complete 130 hours of community service during his term of supervised release.
On April 12, 2013, Porterfield pled guilty to conspiring with codefendant, Juan Saldivar, to submit false claims to the United States Department of Defense by falsifying various travel documents while they served in the Navy at the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 in Gulfport, Mississippi. Saldivar pled guilty to the charge on July 17, 2013 and will be sentenced on Oct. 22, 2013.
This case was investigated by the NCIS and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Morgan.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
