The American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the Richmond branch issued an official statement requesting all potential victims to contact them immediately as part of a federal criminal investigation against businessman Youssef Mandour (known as Mr. Joe) and his companies.
According to the FBI statement, this includes the companies Sanford, Talon Services, and FAR Group. The bureau confirmed that Mandour and his companies have obtained key government contracts (Prime Contracts) with various federal ministries and agencies (Defense, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, etc.) since 2019, and then signed subcontracting agreements with legitimate small companies to execute the work. After receiving services or products and delivering them to the government and receiving funds from the U.S. Treasury, they would refuse to pay the dues of these executing companies or would only pay a small portion.
The main targeted victims are:
- Small businesses owned by veterans
- Businesses owned by minorities or immigrants
- Arab and Islamic companies operating in translation, logistics, security, information technology, and maintenance
The bureau urged victims to fill out a form through its official platform
https://forms.fbi.gov/richmond-victim-mandour or through: www.fbi.gov/tips
It stated that identifying the victims will assist in the investigations, and they may qualify for compensation for their rights that were violated.
Settlement of over 3 million dollars
It is worth noting that the U.S. Department of Justice announced last September a civil settlement of 3.1 million dollars with Sanford Federal, Inc. and its owner Youssef Mandour (known in America as Joseph Mandour) to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act by obtaining 49 federal government contracts through fraudulent means.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho, the company and its owner lied about the identity of its employees, used fictitious persons and forged military data, and concealed the true size of the company and its relationships with other companies to continue qualifying as a “small business owned by a service-disabled veteran” (SDVOSB) or under other government benefits programs (8(a) and HUBZone). They also violated the “subcontracting maximum performance” rules that require the contracting company to perform most of the work itself.
The civil settlement does not imply a criminal conviction, and Mandour or his company did not admit any legal liability, but the payment is considered a compensation to the federal government for funds that the company received unlawfully.
At the same time, the FBI in Richmond, Virginia, confirmed that the criminal investigation is still open and active regarding separate and more serious allegations concerning the failure of Mandour’s affiliated companies (including Far Group and Talon Services) to pay dues to dozens of subcontractors who actually performed work on these contracts between 2019 and 2024, even though the U.S. government had paid the full amounts to the prime companies.
Mr. Joe
Youssef Mandour, known in Morocco as the Moroccan-American businessman and head of the FAR Group specializing in defense industries, gained media attention in Morocco after attempting to head the Tangier Union and then announcing a military vehicle and marrying former parliamentarian and member of the Tangier regional council Rafiah Mansouri.
Before fame, Mandour was not an outsider in Tangier; he opened a branch of his company “FAR Group” in Tangier and employed many young people. However, his attempts to enter the public sphere were met with skepticism, especially after his failure to lead the Tangier Union and the debunking of his claim about inventing the first 100% Moroccan military vehicle.
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