Former Cleveland VA Medical Center Supervisor Sentenced for Theft and Kickback Scheme

Bookmark and Share

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

You are subscribed to Investigative Updates & Press Releases for Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

10/18/2021 02:25 PM EDT

William H. Precht, of Kent, Ohio, was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1.25 million in restitution after he pleaded guilty to theft of government property and participating in a bribery and kickback scheme. In October 2010, Precht registered a purported vendor, a company he actually controlled, as a small disadvantaged business and veteran-owned small business in the VA vendor system. He then used his VA purchase card and other employee cards to purchase over $1 million in alleged medical supplies from the vendor. In addition, from May 2015 through January 2019, he conspired with Robert A. Vitale, a medical sales representative for multiple companies that conducted business with the medical center, to devise a scheme in which Precht would receive kickbacks and other items of value in exchange for steering VA business and other monetary awards to Vitale.