A federal grand jury has accused a local businessman of bribing a Boeing Co. official in exchange for inside information on bids for military aircraft parts.
William Boozer, the owner of Santa Ana-based Globe Dynamics International Inc., faces one count of wire fraud in connection with the alleged scheme.
An Oct. 2 indictment accuses Boozer and other subcontractors with paying Boeing procurement officer Deon Anderson for nonpublic information on bids.
Boozer and Anderson “knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud and obtain money from Boeing and the United States, by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises,” the indictment states.
Anderson allegedly gave Boozer inside information on competitors’ bids and past purchase prices for the military aircraft parts he was bidding on.
Boozer would ask for an “Aisle 5,” — code for “price check on aisle 5” — according to the indictment.
In exchange, the two would meet in Huntington Beach, where Boozer would pay Anderson in cash, prosecutors allege.
Boozer allegedly used that inside information for bids on 16 different Boeing purchase orders.
Of those, Globe Dynamics allegedly received seven contracts amounting to more than $1.5 million.
The alleged scheme took place between November 2009 and February 2013, according to the indictment.
Their wire fraud charge centers on a Jan. 24, 2011, email where Anderson allegedly gave Boozer past price information on a military aircraft parts purchase order.
Boozer was arrested on Oct. 18 and pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Globe Dynamics’ headquarters are listed in eastern Santa Ana, near the corner of Grand Avenue and Chestnut Avenue.
Boozer’s attorney, Dyke Huish, didn’t return a message late Monday afternoon seeking comment.
Under federal law, a wire fraud conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith in St. Louis.
The charges were first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
You can reach Nick Gerda at ngerda@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter: @nicholasgerda.