HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Raymond Lofthouse, age 59, of Florida, pled guilty to one count of filing false claims against the U.S. Government.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Lofthouse was awarded a contract for $60,000 to repair three electric motors for the U.S. Navy. Lofthouse billed the Navy for the contract, knowing the work was not complete and then never completed the work.
The matter was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Ford is prosecuting the case.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty for this offense is up to five years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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