US authorities have offered a $150,000 reward for the arrest and trial of Onur Simsek, a Turkish citizen accused by Washington of defrauding the Defense Ministry and supplying the US military with substandard military parts.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has placed Onur Simsek on its most-wanted fraud list, and US authorities believe he is currently in Turkey, Al Arabiya Network reported, while efforts to locate and arrest him continue.
The company is implementing the scheme in Florida
According to the indictment, Simsik and his associates used the Florida-based company between April 2019 and February 2022 to obtain government contracts related to the supply of sensitive military components, taking advantage of the company’s presentation as a qualified entity to manufacture in the United States.
Although the company presented itself to US authorities as a qualified manufacturer in the United States, military components were produced in Turkey and then shipped to the United States, where they were repackaged to appear domestically produced and meet the terms of government contracts.
Misleading information to government agencies
An official statement released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation explained that the scheme involved providing false information and documents to US government agencies, including the Defense Logistics Agency, in order to obtain contracts to transfer military components and supply them to the US government.
US Attorney for the Central District of Florida, Gregory V. Kehoe said Simsik had been barred from dealing with the U.S. government since 2018 for similar crimes, but he returned, according to the indictment, to participate in Defense Department contracts for personal gain.
According to the FBI, Kehoe accused Simsik of withholding information from the US government and providing it with falsified data in order to achieve financial gain at the expense of American taxpayers as part of a scheme involving military supply contracts.
US authorities are still looking for Onur Simsek, who is believed to be in Turkey, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation urged anyone with information that could help locate him to contact the office and provide information.
150 thousand dollars in exchange for information about Turk
US authorities have offered a $150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Simsick as part of efforts to bring him to justice on federal charges.
Simsek faces several federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the US government, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to violate export restrictions, as well as charges of violating export control and weapons laws.
A federal judge in Central Florida issued an arrest warrant for Shimsek on October 25, 2023, but U.S. authorities have not yet been able to arrest him, and he is still wanted on charges related to military contracts and components.
