HOUSTON – A 64-year-old Houston man has admitted to conspiring to commit mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Abraham Joseph pleaded guilty to engaging in the fraud scheme for 12 years.
Joseph was the owner of One Point Inc., a company located in Houston.
As part of his plea, he admitted that from 2007 to 2019, he engaged in a bribery and bid rigging fraud scheme to secure construction and maintenance work contracts from a local company with a manufacturing facility.
During that time, he submitted fake bids through the company’s facilities manager to make it appear OnePoint was the lowest. In return, Joseph paid $1.3 million in cash and other items of value in bribes.
Joseph further admitted he failed to disclose he was submitting falsified bids and paying kickbacks from the victim company’s funds. He also had the victim company’s facilities manager on company payroll.
The victim company would not have paid invoices from OnePoint had they known about the falsified bids or the kickback payments.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal will impose sentencing Jan. 18, 2023. At that time, Joseph faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Joseph was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.