Architect faces prison sentence for VA medical center contract conspiracy

Virginia architect Mark Farmer admitted to using inside information from William Montague, former head of Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, to gain VA contracts, according to Cleveland.com. 

Farmer also confessed that he knew about $3.9 million in illegal deals resulting from access to that information. Farmer made the admission as part of a post-conviction plea deal under which he will serve 21 months to six years in prison. 

The deal requires Farmer to forfeit $70,801 in proceeds resulting from the illegal dealings and pay possible fines between $10,000 and $250,000. Farmer was convicted of conspiracy, racketeering, embezzlement, bribery, theft of public money, mail fraud and wire fraud in August 2015.

Cleveland.com reported that, according to now-sealed documents, the information from Montague resulted in up to $20 million in projects.