Foley Expands Health Care Public Affairs Team in Washington

/ Press Releases / / By

 

WASHINGTON – Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that Jennifer Walsh has joined as director of public affairs in the Washington, D.C. office.

 

In this role, Walsh will work closely with former U.S. Representative Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), for whom she served as chief of staff during his tenure in Congress, as well as with former U.S. Representative Scott Klug (R-WI). Her focus at Foley will include advising clients on legislative, regulatory and public policy matters related to a variety of issues, and primarily health care. Walsh has deep expertise on a wide range of health care issues, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, military and veterans’ health, the regulatory process, health information technology and efforts to modernize the health care system.

 

“With health care legislation a priority initiative for many of our clients planning for changes in their industry, reimbursement, and core business operations, Jennifer’s experience on Capitol Hill and in the private sector, combined with her intimate knowledge of the ACA will be an invaluable asset,” said Larry Vernaglia, chair of Foley’s Health Care Industry Team.

 

Walsh began her political career working for former U.S. Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA) in the U.S. House Democratic Caucus and later in his California office. She served as a chief of staff in the California Legislature and was tapped by Cardoza to serve as finance director on his congressional campaign and later run his office in 2003.

 

“I have had the privilege of working with Jennifer since I served in the California Legislature. She was among the most effective and respected chiefs of staff in the California Assembly and continued that reputation on Capitol Hill, having been part of the House Democratic leadership team while the Affordable Care Act was developed, and an instrumental leader among the Blue Dog Coalition,” said Cardoza, co-chair of Foley’s Federal Public Affairs Practice. “I look forward to building on her health care experience to develop a top notch public policy practice together.”

 

After leaving Capitol Hill in 2011, Walsh served as vice president for federal government affairs at a leading multi-national health care company, where she developed expertise on a variety of issues across the health care spectrum.

 

“I am pleased to welcome Jennifer to our DC office, where her successful track record in working with both Democrats and Republicans will greatly enhance the firm’s national public affairs practice,” said Scott Fredericksen, managing partner of the firm’s Washington office.
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Seven Charged in Boeing Kickbacks Scheme for Satellite Deals

/ Featured / April 2, 2015 / By
Satellite
        LOS ANGELES – Seven defendants have been charged in a scheme to pay kickbacks to a procurement official at a subsidiary of the Boeing Company that supplies satellites and satellite parts to federal government entities, including NASA.
        A series of cases related to the kickback scheme were announced today after prosecutors learned that a federal judge unsealed documents related to four of the defendants who previously pleaded guilty in under seal proceedings.
        At the center of the scheme is an executive at a San Gabriel Valley metal company that was a subcontractor to Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (BSIS), which supplies satellites and satellite parts to NASA, the Department of Defense, the National Reconnaissance Office and the United States Air Force. That executive – Alfred Henderson, 60, of Pico Rivera, who is the vice president of A&A Fabrication and Polishing, Inc., which operates in Whittier and Montebello – was arrested on Monday and arraigned on a 15-count grand jury indictment that was unsealed after his arrest. A&A is also charged in the indictment.
        Henderson pleaded not guilty on Monday, was released on a $25,000 bond, and was ordered to stand trial on May 26. Representatives of A&A will appear on behalf of the company in federal court on April 13.
        A&A is a company that specializes in machining, welding and producing sheet metal for industries that include aerospace. A&A manufactured tooling parts that Boeing used to manufacture satellites.
        The indictment alleges that Henderson and A&A paid kickbacks to Mark Allen, 60, of Fresno, who was a procurement officer at BSIS in El Segundo. The kickbacks were paid to Allen through an outside sales representative, Raymond Joseph, 66, of Los Angeles, related to purchase orders to A&A for tooling parts used to manufacture of satellites that were sold to the U.S. Government. The indictment alleges that Allen provided Henderson with confidential information that gave A&A an improper advantage in bidding and ensured that A&A would receive purchase orders from BSIS.
        The indictment also alleges that, after Boeing decided to stop doing business with A&A due to work quality and performance issues, Henderson devised a scheme to do business through a “front” company, Nace Sheet Metal Company, which was owned and operated by Cesar Soto, 47, of Chino. The indictment against Henderson alleges that Soto and an A&A employee, Randy Mitchell, 62, of Whittier, misrepresented that A&A’s facility was actually operated by Nace and that Henderson unlawfully used Soto’s name on price quotes to Boeing. The indictment further alleges that Henderson and A&A issued false tax forms to Joseph, which he used to understate his taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service.
        “Pay-to-play schemes undermine the integrity of the competitive bidding process and, in this case, compromised the quality of products used to manufacture satellites for scientific exploration and national defense,” said Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Yonekura.
        Chris D. Hendrickson, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, stated: “Corruption in government contracting is always reprehensible. The indictment handed down by the grand jury and the arrest of Alfred Henderson is yet another example of the continued dedication by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and its law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those individuals who engage in corrupt business practices.”
In a court order filed late Tuesday, United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, unsealed criminal cases against Mark Allen, Raymond Joseph, Cesar Soto, and Randy Mitchell. All four previously pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing.
        The United States Attorney’s Office on Monday filed a criminal information against the seventh defendant in this scheme – Noberto Martinez, 53, of Alhambra, who owns and controls Zenitram Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. The information charges Martinez with conspiring to pay kickbacks to Allen and issuing false tax forms to Joseph. Martinez has signed a plea agreement and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on April 13.
        An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
        The cases are the result of investigations by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, NASA’s Office of Inspector General, and IRS – Criminal Investigation. The National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations also participated in the investigation. Boeing cooperated fully in the investigation.

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