Bel Air Man Indicted in $300K Government Scam

A Bel Air man was indicted Wednesday on federal charges in a scheme that officials say has been under investigation for several years and ultimately robbed the U.S. Air Force of approximately $300,000.

Robert St. Clair of Bel Air—a civilian whose job at Andrews Air Force Base included scheduling Air National Guard members' assignments so they could work and get paid for the time—was charged with conspiracy, theft of government property and false claims against the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to reports.

St. Clair, 50, encountered personal problems that caused him to declare bankruptcy, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and so a friend of his, who worked in the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Allegheny County, PA, gave him a "no-show" job that made it appear he was working as an enlisted contracting specialist for the 171st Air Refueling Wing.

Financial problems like declaring bankruptcy "raise red flags for security clearance investigators," according to Army Times.

The job that St. Clair's friend, Col. Gerard Mangis, 59, of Pennsylvania, created for him automatically preserved the Bel Air man's security clearance and entitled him to military benefits and pay.

Approximately 633 duty rosters were falsified and records were fudged to make it appear that St. Clair was part of Mangis' unit, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

In return for the "no-show" job that his friend created for him, St. Clair is accused of crediting Mangis for work days and overtime for which he was not owed, The Washington Post reported.

The arrangement began in 2002 and continued until 2011, according to 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh's NPR affiliate, which reported both men had been experiencing financial problems at the time.

Authorities became aware of the situation when during an audit of work days, it became apparent Mangis was being paid for civilian and military work scheduled at the same time, which meant he was being paid twice for doing the same thing, WESA reported.

St. Clair resigned from the guard and his civilian position at Andrews Air Force Base, while Mangis was excused from his duties in 2011 though is still a reservist, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mangis was arrested at his home Wednesday and released on a $10,000 bond, WESA reported.
St. Clair will need to turn himself in to the U.S. District Court Judge within a few weeks, The Washington Post reported.

Mangis and St. Clair may not be the only ones headed to court.

"...we believe that there's more fraud present and when we have others to charge, we will," U.S. District Attorney David J. Hickton told WESA.

The investigation began in 2010, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

All told, the alleged scheme cost the Air Force approximately $300,000, according to The Washington Post.