JACKSON – A Jackson woman and her son have admitted to a long-term scheme of defrauding the U.S. Department of Defense by providing military equipment parts that were not authorized, officials said.
Linda Mika, 73, pleaded guilty to count one of an indictment charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Kenneth Mika, 53, of Ewing, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2024, to the same count of the indictment.
They face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, as a result of their plea agreements with the federal government.
The Mikas were employees of Monmouth Marine Engines, Inc. (Monmouth Marine), a maritime equipment and servicing facility, which, as an approved federal contractor, according to officials.
From March 2016 through April 2020, the Mikas devised a scheme and “conspired with each other and others to defraud the Department of Defense and one of its combat logistic support arms, the Defense Logistics Agency, by engaging in a pattern of unlawful product substitution,”
The Mikas, on behalf of Monmouth Marine, falsely claimed that the military parts they were contracted to provide would be from authorized manufacturers or suppliers. However, once awarded the contracts, the Mikas sourced non-conforming substitute parts at a significantly reduced cost, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The duo did this to maximize their profit margin, while also suppressing fair competition in the bidding process of federal contracts, officials said.
The non-conforming parts were then shipped to the Defense Logistics Agency or to various military purchasers in packaging disguised to hide what they had done, officials said.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Defense, D.C.I.S. Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Solecki; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
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