Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
Five former executives of Surveying Solutions Inc. (SSI), a company based in Standish, Michigan, have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr., along with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
On November 18, 2025, Judge Thomas L. Ludington sentenced Andrew Semenchuk and Jeffrey Bartlett to 15 months in federal prison after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Both will also serve two years of supervised release after their incarceration.
On November 20, 2025, Adam Ball and Brian Bartlett were each sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison following their guilty pleas to conspiracy charges. They will also serve two years of supervised release upon release. Anthony Thelen received a six-month sentence in federal prison with one year of supervised release.
The court ordered all five men to pay $4,571,800 in restitution to MDOT and imposed forfeitures totaling $4,073,200.
Court records indicate that between February 2011 and July 2019, SSI received millions in highway construction contracts funded primarily by USDOT through MDOT. During this period, the defendants engaged in fraudulent overbilling practices which led MDOT to make excessive payments to SSI. The fraudulent activity included submitting false employee and IT costs, inflating equipment and property lease expenses, and hiding true ownership details related to SSI entities.
Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office stated: "FBI Detroit will rigorously safeguard the integrity of government programs and hold accountable those who betray the public’s trust by exploiting the competitive contracting process for personal financial gain,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “These kinds of manipulative schemes defraud not only government programs but Michiganders’ tax dollars as well and place honest, rule-abiding Michigan businesses at an unfair disadvantage. My team at the FBI Bay City Resident Agency, along with our federal law enforcement partners, conducted a meticulous and thorough investigation to uncover this complex financial crime and ultimately ensured justice was served. I am grateful for the partnership and successful prosecutorial work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan in securing this sentencing.”
Anthony Licari from USDOT’s Office of Inspector General commented: “For nearly a decade, the defendants carried out a scheme that compromised the integrity of transportation projects in Michigan and betrayed the taxpayers who funded them,” said Anthony Licari, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “The sentences imposed send an unmistakable message that we will not waver in our commitment to working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to expose corruption and ensure that those who break the law are brought to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by both FBI agents and officials from USDOT’s Office of Inspector General. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen L. Reynolds, William Vailliencourt, and K. Craig Welkener.
