Professor Elam

Thursday July 7, 2022

Michael angelo Padron convicted of defrauding the US govt of $240 M.

A jury has convicted San Antonio businessman Michael Angelo Padron of defrauding the federal government by illegally obtaining more than $240 million in contracts intended for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

The jury found Padron — who is neither a veteran nor disabled — guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States and six counts of wire fraud. It acquitted him of two other wire fraud charge

Padron, 62, faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 20 years on each wire fraud count. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 19 with co-defendants Michael Wibracht — a former San Antonio apartment developer — and Ruben Villarreal, who both pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the government rather than stand trial.

The jury reached its verdict in the six-day trial on June 29.

“Fraudulently obtaining multi-million-dollar government contracts from a program designed to benefit service-disabled veterans is reprehensible,” Jeffrey Breen, special agent in charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s South Central field office, said in statement after the verdict.