Three Mississippi residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to rig bids on sports equipment sold to public schools in the state. The indictment, filed in the Northern District of Mississippi, names Jon Christopher Burt (also known as Tank), Gerald Steven Lavender (also known as Jerry Lavender), and Jack Nelson Purvis Jr. (also known as Jay Purvis). All three are accused of participating in bid rigging schemes that targeted school districts over more than a decade.
According to the indictment, from July 2010 through July 2023, Burt, Lavender, and Purvis worked together to manipulate the bidding process for contracts involving sports equipment purchases by Mississippi public schools. Additionally, it is alleged that Burt was involved in a separate bid rigging conspiracy from June 2016 through September 2022. The conduct reportedly affected at least 44 public schools and involved millions of dollars in taxpayer funds.
The indictment details how the defendants and their co-conspirators—including some school coaches—circumvented state procurement laws requiring two competitive bids for purchases over $5,000. They allegedly agreed beforehand who would win each contract and submitted intentionally higher-priced fake bids, referred to as “second quotes,” to ensure one conspirator’s success.
“Where our country sees an opportunity for children to shine, the defendants conspired to rig bids to benefit themselves,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Public school funding — in this case for school sports — enriches the lives of these students in Mississippi and will be protected from fraudulent schemes. The Antitrust Division will continue to ensure that opportunities for public school children and taxpayer dollars receive the benefit of a competitive bidding process.”
“Stealing from public schools is stealing from the American people – plain and simple,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “The egregious fraud carried out through bid-rigging schemes represents a blatant betrayal of public trust. Burt, Lavender, and Purvis allowed greed to drive them to mislead multiple schools, manipulate the competitive bidding process, and exploit the desire to provide children with quality sporting equipment for their own personal gain. The FBI and our federal partners will not allow criminals to rob our public-school systems and walk away without consequences. They will be held accountable and face justice.”
Burt, Lavender, and Purvis each face one count of violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act; Burt faces an additional count under this statute. If convicted under this law, individuals may be sentenced up to ten years in prison and fined up to $1 million or twice either the gain derived or loss suffered if those amounts exceed $1 million.
Sentencing decisions will be made by a federal district court judge after considering relevant guidelines.
The Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) investigates antitrust crimes related to government procurement at all levels nationwide. More information about reporting such crimes can be found at www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Whistleblowers who provide original information leading to criminal fines or recoveries exceeding $1 million may qualify for rewards ranging between 15% and 30% of recovered funds. Details on eligibility are available at www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
