Former Chicago VA procurement supervisor pleads guilty pocketing kickbacks

CHICAGO - A former procurement supervisor at the Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chicago pleaded guilty to pocketing thousands of dollars in kickbacks over the corse of seven years.

Thomas Duncan, 39, admitted in federal court that he took money from the president of a medical supply company to steer the company product orders that the VA paid for but never received.

Duncan was a supervisor in the medical center’s Central Supply department. He accepted cash and checks from the president of a medical supply company based in Dolton, Daniel Dingle. 

The checks were made payable to Helping Hands Properties LLC, a company created by Duncan to hide the fraud. 

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The scheme began in 2012 and continued until 2019. 

Duncan and Dingle, 52, of Riverdale, each pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  

Duncan’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 30. Dingle’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

The Northern District of Illinois' U.S. Attorney's Office say the defendants should be required to pay restitution of $1,719,219 to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.