By Hayden Cunningham – The Postmillennial
Another federal contractor has been caught on camera admitting to government contracting fraud, according to a new undercover video released by James O’Keefe’s O’Keefe Media Group (OMG).
The video features ATI Government Solutions Senior Director Anish Abraham describing how the company exploits Native American 8(a) business status to secure federal contracts while outsourcing a majority of the work to larger corporations.
A previous OMG investigation revealed how ATI Government Solutions, which claims to be 51 percent owned by the Susanville Indian Rancheria, has been repeatedly breaking the law. The company is managed almost entirely by non-Native executives in Washington, DC.
In the latest footage, Abraham met undercover OMG reporters posing as representatives of a fake cybersecurity firm called Sev Zero Solutions. Believing he was attending an interview, Abraham revealed details of ATI’s newest federal contract worth nearly $100 million. “We have the prime contract, but Accenture will be the subcontractor,” he said, adding that ATI would keep 65 percent of the funds while outsourcing most of the actual work to global services company Accenture.
OMG noted that this arrangement violates Small Business Administration regulations requiring 8(a) contractors to perform the “primary and vital” parts of any awarded project. Outsourcing more than half the work to a non-8(a) entity can constitute wire fraud.
When pressed by the undercover journalist, Abraham confirmed that ATI acts as a “pass-through” for Accenture. He went on to admit that ATI’s Native-owned designation shields it from oversight, such as DOGE cuts. “I don’t think they will dare to touch the Native Americans,” Abraham said.
In a follow-up meeting, OMG also interviewed former ATI Director of Contracts Melayne Cromwell, who had been featured in the first part of the investigation. Cromwell admitted that ATI frequently started subcontractor work before contracts were officially approved.
“Once you know you’re going to win something… you just start working,” she said. “When the government cuts you a check… you can’t backdate the money.”
Abraham further revealed that ATI operates with minimal infrastructure, renting office space only when necessary for client meetings. He rejected the term “shell company” but conceded, “They have the minority status, so the government has this thing to give it to them. And now they will have to run it, and they make sure that the work gets done.”
According to Abraham, he earns $350,000 annually, while his supervisor makes over $1 million.
“You fly under the radar, you take 65%, and nobody even knows your name,” an undercover O’Keefe said. Abraham nodded in agreement: “But they make good money though.”
Following O’Keefe’s report, the Small Business Administration launched an investigation into ATI Government Solutions and Susanville Indian Rancheria. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler revealed on Wednesday that the firm was suspended from conducting any new business with the federal government.