FCDL Comment:
DR1: Peretz Klein, Susan Klein, Ben Klein, and Sholem Steinberg plead guilty on February 12, 2020 to defrauding the E-rate program. As outlined in a DOJ press release, these defendants held themselves out as vendors to schools participating in the E-rate program. Corporations controlled by these defendants requested over $35 million in E-rate funds, and received over $14 million in E-rate funds, from in or about 2010 to in or about 2016. Each of these defendants admitted that the companies they controlled did not in fact provide much of the equipment for which they billed E-rate. Due to this guilty plea and admission to violating E-rate?s rules regarding use and delivery of equipment and services (See 47 C.F.R. ?? 54.500, 54.507), USAC is denying all funding to FRNs associated with these SPINs because of their found relationship with one of these four defendants. DR2: Simon Goldbrener, owner of Gold Consulting and SGoldbrener LTD, plead guilty on February 12, 2020 to defrauding the E-rate program from 2010 to 2016. Specifically, Goldbrener plead guilty to holding himself out as a consultant who worked for educational institutions, supposedly helping schools to participate in the E-rate program by, among other things, holding a fair and open bidding process to select cost-effective vendors. Goldbrener admitted that he was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by vendors to complete and file false E-rate documents that circumvented the competitive bidding process from at least in or about 2010 up to and including in or about 2016. Due to this guilty plea and admission to violating E-rate?s competitive bidding rules (47 C.F.R. ? 54.503) USAC is denying funding to 156405 in funding years where 156405 used Goldbrener, Gold Consulting, or SGoldbrener LTD as your E-rate consultant.