United States Attorney David Metcalf has announced charges against Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Indiana. Snedden, the sole owner and President of a masonry restoration contracting company, faces allegations of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making and presenting a false claim.
The charges stem from a contract awarded on December 10, 2015, to Snedden's company by Amtrak for a facade repair and restoration project worth $58,473,000 at Amtrak's 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Federal funding covered approximately 90 percent of the project's costs.
Snedden, along with Vice Presidents Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, and Khaled Dallo, were responsible for overseeing the project's performance. Amtrak Employee #1, acting as the Project Manager, was tasked with communicating project updates, reviewing invoices, and managing payment requests submitted by the Contractor.
The contract explicitly prohibited offering any cash, gifts, or compensations to Amtrak employees for securing favorable treatment. Despite this, charges allege that from May 2016 through November 2019, Snedden and others conspired to offer various gifts to Amtrak Employee #1. The alleged bribes totaled approximately $323,686 and included vacations, jewelry, cash, dinners, entertainment, a dog, and associated training and transportation.
In response to these gifts, Amtrak Employee #1 reportedly shared internal agency information and approved additional costly changes to the project, ratcheting up its scale and price. This included approvals of over $52 million in additional payments, with some costs allegedly inflated, resulting in substantial overbilling of Amtrak by over $2 million.
If convicted, Snedden could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, and additional penalties.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell manages the prosecution.
It is important to note that charges such as indictments and criminal complaints are accusations, and individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.