Former Federal Government Employee Pleads Guilty to False Statements

WASHINGTON-Tremayne Matthews, 38, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of a concealing material facts from the federal government. The charge stemmed from a years-long scheme in which Matthews submitted hundreds of falsified resumes to obtain federal employment and then dozens of forged affidavits in connection with an administrative hearing after he had been terminated.

The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthews Graves; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes; U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Duane Townsend; and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Special Agent Andrew McKay.

U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 29, 2025.

According to the plea paperwork, beginning in November 2018 and continuing through November 2022, Matthews submitted more than 200 applications for employment with multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In connection with these applications, Matthews made multiple misrepresentations. In addition to submitting falsified resumes that contained information he had copied and pasted from a resume belonging to a former co-worker, Matthews also concealed the fact that he had resigned from employment in lieu of being terminated. On the basis of these misrepresentations, Matthews was hired by the federal government into positions that earned an annual salary of more than $100,000.

As part of his guilty plea, Matthews also admitted to submitting fabricated affidavits to the federal government. In 2020, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) investigated Matthews' employment history. Rather than admit his wrongdoing, the Matthews submitted a rebuttal package to OPM that contained at least four signed and notarized affidavits from former associates, as well as email exchanges, vouching for the information contained in his resume. In reality, Matthews had fabricated the affidavits and emails entirely. The individuals listed in the affidavits had not signed the documents, nor had the documents actually been notarized. Matthews also created a fake email address that he used to perpetrate the fraud.

This case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, DOC-OIG, and TIGTA. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher R. Howland of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

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