Celestine “Skip” Aniekwu, 65, from Sunrise, Florida, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Aniekwu had been on the run for 15 years before surrendering earlier this year.
Court documents reveal that the scheme began in 2008, when undercover FBI agents, posing as asset managers, approached Aniekwu with an offer to assist him in securing lucrative construction contracts with the City of Miramar. Aniekwu allegedly told the agents he needed $150,000 in cash to bribe public officials in order to secure Gulf Building Corporation’s bids for two high-profile projects: the Ansin Sports Complex and the Miramar Regional Service Center.
When a subcontractor, a subsidiary of a publicly traded company, struggled to withdraw such a large sum of money, Aniekwu devised a plan with the agents to create fraudulent invoices for work that was never performed. These false invoices allowed the subcontractor to issue two checks totaling $50,000. At Aniekwu’s request, the checks were cashed by the agents and returned to him, with the intent of using the funds as bribe payments to Miramar city officials.
The fraudulent scheme was disrupted before any of the bribe money reached the public officials. Aniekwu was arrested, and after a lengthy legal process, he has now been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. This case highlights the ongoing efforts to combat corruption and fraud in public contracting.
