Five Michigan men, all former executives of Standish-based Surveying Solutions Inc., were sentenced this week to federal prison for their roles in a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Transportation through the Michigan Department of Transportation United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced.
On November 18, 2025, United States District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington sentenced Andrew Semenchuk, 53, of Rives Junction, and Jeffrey Bartlett, 53, of Standish, to 15 months in federal prison following their guilty pleas to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Both will be required to serve two years of federal supervised release following their release from incarceration.
On November 20, 2025, Judge Ludington sentenced Adam Ball, 48, of Saginaw and Brian Bartlett, 48, of Standish to one year and one day in federal prison following their guilty pleas to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Both will be required to serve 2 years of federal supervised release following their release from incarceration. Also on November 20, 2025, Judge Ludington sentenced Anthony Thelen, 48, of Pewamo to 6 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Thelen will be required to serve one year of federal supervised release following his release from incarceration.
The five defendants will pay a total of $4,571,800 in full restitution to the Michigan Department of Transportation. The court also ordered them to pay forfeitures in the total amount of $4,073,200.
According to court records, from approximately February 2011 through July 2019, Andrew Semenchuk, Jeffrey Bartlett, Adam Ball, Brian Bartlett, and Anthony Thelen, owned and operated SSI, a surveying company that was awarded millions of dollars in highway construction contracts by MDOT. Those contracts were funded almost entirely by federal funds through USDOT. In the course of seeking and participating in MDOT contracts, the defendants engaged in fraudulent overbilling scheme resulting in MDOT making millions of dollars of overpayments to SSI, a large portion of which the defendants distributed among themselves. The fraudulent overbilling included reporting false and non-existent employee and information technology costs, claiming improper and inflated equipment and real property lease costs, and concealing the true ownership of and control over the SSI entities to justify the fraudulent overbillings.
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"FBI Detroit will rigorously safeguard the integrity of government programs and hold accountable those who betray the public’s trust by exploiting the competitive contracting process for personal financial gain,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “These kinds of manipulative schemes defraud not only government programs but Michiganders’ tax dollars as well and place honest, rule-abiding Michigan businesses at an unfair disadvantage. My team at the FBI Bay City Resident Agency, along with our federal law enforcement partners, conducted a meticulous and thorough investigation to uncover this complex financial crime and ultimately ensured justice was served. I am grateful for the partnership and successful prosecutorial work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan in securing this sentencing.”
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Michigan Division, and Anthony Licari, Special Agent in Charge United States Department of Transportation – Midwestern Region.
“For nearly a decade, the defendants carried out a scheme that compromised the integrity of transportation projects in Michigan and betrayed the taxpayers who funded them,” said Anthony Licari, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “The sentences imposed send an unmistakable message that we will not waver in our commitment to working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to expose corruption and ensure that those who break the law are brought to justice.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen L. Reynolds, William Vailliencourt, and K. Craig Welkener.
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