Business owner pleads guilty to bid rigging for wildfire suppression equipment

BOISE — The former owner of several contracting companies that provided fuel truck services to U.S. Forest Service wildfire crews pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple felonies.

Ike Tomlinson, 60, of Terreton, conspired with co-defendant Chris Byrd, 61, of Salmon, in at least two conspiracies, according to a news release from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.

Related | Two business owners accused of bid rigging for wildfire suppression equipment

Both men were indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of felony wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to restrict trade, including bid rigging and territorial apportionment.

As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Tomlinson on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conspiring to monopolize, collude, and allocate territory in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Instead, prosecutors are free to dismiss the remaining charges and argue the recommended sentence in court.

The agreement followed a wiretap investigation that led to the indictments of Tomlinson and Byrd in December 2023.

“Defendants manipulated prices for fuel truck services and overbilled U.S. Forest Service wildfire firefighters,” said Michael D. Nordwall, FBI Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation. “(Wednesday’s) plea agreements demonstrate serious consequences for executives who conspire against the federal government. We are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening.”

Sentencing for Tomlinson has not yet been scheduled.

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Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Byrd, who own competing companies, allegedly conspired to “rig bids and allocate territory” in violation of the Sherman Act.

The Federal Trade Commission says the Sherman Act of 1890 criminalizes “any contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of trade,” and any “monopoly, attempted monopoly, or conspiracy or combination for the purpose of monopolizing.” Says.

According to the indictment, to ensure the best deal for taxpayers and promote free and fair competition, the U.S. Forest Service advertised a bidding process for awarding certain fire protection contracts to eligible small businesses; It is being implemented.

These vendors supply fuel trucks, water trucks, communications trailers, and more.

According to the felony indictment, Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Byrd worked together to influence Forest Fire Service contracts and make as much profit as possible.

According to the indictment, from at least approximately February 2014 until approximately March 2023, Tomlinson and Byrd arranged bids to “squeeze” and “drown” their competitors, using collusive and anticompetitive day rates. It is alleged that he accepted payment for the fuel truck in exchange for a fee and attempted to: hide their actions.

“This investigation was conducted by the Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force, which included FBI agents and intercepted phone calls between Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Byrd, with the authorization of law enforcement agencies,” a release from the Attorney General’s Office said. ing. “As alleged, Tomlinson and Byrd spoke to each other shortly before the bid submission deadline for the fuel truck contract. During the calls cited in the indictment, they rigged bids, allocated territory, and He allegedly agreed to target his competitors.”