HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — John Hobart “Bart” Lawrence, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture employee accused of rigging bids for federally funded projects, was granted a request to sever his case from his alleged co-actors.
Thomas Marler leaves the District Court of Guam in Hagåtña after a hearing on Dec. 9, 2019.
District Court of Guam Magistrate Judge Michael Bordallo granted the request on Tuesday.
Lawrence was indicted along with his daughter, Jayanika Lawrence, and Thomas Marler, a former University of Guam researcher and professor, on charges that include wire fraud, conspiracy to restrain trade, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“The (prosecution) argued that severance is appropriate because (Bart) Lawrence’s statements to law enforcement agents directly implicate Marler and Jayanika,” Judge Bordallo stated in his order. “The court finds that separate trials are the only way to avoid asking the jury to perform tasks that they cannot reasonably do and avoid prejudicing the government and the co-defendants.”
The case was originally scheduled to go to trial in August.
The defendants are scheduled to appear back in court on July 20.
Allegations
Bart Lawrence and Marler were longtime friends, the superseding indictment states, and Jayanika Lawrence and her father participated in the bid-rigging scheme as co-conspirators.
Marler and Bart Lawrence agreed to start a business called Sansar Environmental Consulting, as an environmental consultant, which was operated by Jayanika Lawrence, but Bart Lawrence had control over Sansa, the indictment states.
It added that more than $50,000 in UOG grants from the Navy and USDA were deposited into the accounts of Sansar or Jayanika Lawrence as a pass-through.
The alleged conspiracy included creating false bids so the grants would be awarded to companies under the control of the defendants.
Marler is accused of conspiring to rig bids to enrich himself by steering about $191,000 in federally funded contracts to two businesses. He is also accused of rigging bids to favor Isla Paraiso and Sansar.
The indictment states that they conspired between 2013 and around June 2015 to submit bogus bids and obtain federally funded UOG projects through noncompetitive rigged bids.
Marler allegedly prepared and submitted bid proposals on behalf of Sansar and submitted false bid proposals on behalf of other vendors that weren’t aware bids were being submitted on their behalf.
