A former federal public servant has pleaded guilty to criminal breach of trust for directing 72 sole-source contracts worth $231,663 to a company that he fully owned.
Marc Primeau of Long Sault, Ont., had admitted to using his position at the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to direct the contracts and six other purchase orders to Access Security Logistix (ASL), a company he created.
The ASL website says the company designs, installs and maintains “cutting-edge security and access control systems tailored to your unique needs.”
The RCMP released an agreed statement of facts Wednesday.
“Due to his position within ISED, Mr. Primeau was the person responsible for ensuring that goods were properly received from ASL to ISED, while concealing his relationship with ASL from ISED,” the RCMP said in a news release.
Mr. Primeau declined to comment in a phone call with The Globe and Mail on Thursday.
According to the RCMP, changes in the department’s internal accounting and record-keeping practices led to the discovery of Mr. Primeau’s activities. He was dismissed from employment with ISED in February, 2019, and the matter was referred to the RCMP for investigation.
The police said Mr. Primeau pleaded guilty to breach of trust and other charges were withdrawn. The release said he has delivered restitution funds in the amount of $90,000 to his former employer, which the police said reflects an estimate of the profits that Mr. Primeau gained illegally.
The RCMP announced in June, 2023 that Mr. Primeau, then 48, was facing a range of fraud charges. The force said at the time that an investigation revealed a pattern of Mr. Primeau knowingly taking advantage of his position and benefiting from information obtained through the course of his official duties.
Federal officials announced in March that departments have increased their efforts to identify fraud. They said an internal review of federal contracting found nearly $5-million in fraudulent billing by three private subcontractors, prompting the government to refer the cases to the RCMP.
They described the announcement as the first wave of what is expected to be a series of discoveries related to fraudulent billing cases in the coming months. They said another five to 10 cases are being examined, though they did not say how much money may be involved.