Parkville man pleads guilty to taking $335M in contracts meant for minorities, vets
A former Parkville construction manager has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to defraud the federal government of $335 million in contract work that was meant for firms owned by minorities and veterans, according to prosecutors.
Patrick M. Dingle, 50, admitted in federal court Monday to participating in the fraud alongside other co-conspirators. He also pleaded guilty in a separate case to filing false tax returns and dodging an estimated $615,000 in tax liability, prosecutors said.
A defense attorney for Dingle declined to comment on the plea.
In 2019, Dingle was charged along with co-conspirator Matthew McPherson by a federal grand jury in a 16-count indictment outlining the fraud accusations. Dingle, working as the construction manager for North Kansas City-based Zieson Construction Company, won nearly 200 federal contracts set aside for minority and veteran-owned small businesses between 2009 and 2018, prosecutors say.
The contracts were obtained by Dingle and McPherson through the use of straw owners who signed checks and other documents but did not control the day-to-day operations of the companies or gain substantial profits from them. That rendered the construction companies ineligible to seek the federal contracts.
Dingle pleaded guilty on Monday to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire and major program fraud. He also admitted to lying on his tax returns, including by submitting nearly $800,000 in fraudulent business expenses.
McPherson, 45, of Olathe, pleaded guilty in 2019 to his role in the crime and has yet to be sentenced.
