By: Richard L. Smith
A Monmouth County woman and her son from Mercer County have confessed to their involvement in a long-running scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) by supplying unauthorized military equipment parts, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Linda Mika, 73, of Jackson, New Jersey, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Her son, Kenneth Mika, 53, of Ewing, New Jersey, admitted to the same charge on June 25, 2024.
According to court documents and statements, from March 2016 to April 2020, Linda and Kenneth Mika, along with others, engaged in a scheme to defraud the DoD and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) by substituting non-conforming parts for those specified in contracts.
The Mikas were employees of Monmouth Marine Engines Inc. (Monmouth Marine), a maritime equipment and service provider that had contracts to supply replacement hardware for various military branches.
The Mikas secured DoD contracts by falsely claiming that they would provide exact products from authorized manufacturers or suppliers.
Instead, they supplied cheaper, non-conforming parts to maximize profits and suppress fair competition in federal contract bidding.
They then shipped these parts in packaging designed to disguise their true identity, deceiving the DLA and military purchasers.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
