Trick #2: (Allegedly) Fleecing taxpayers of money budgeted for cabling
A former administrator in the Seattle public school system got busted for a long list of financial-corruption incidents. Once the investigation began, auditors found problems with 14 of 26 vendors that had worked for the system, including an installer of security and cabling systems. The problems included overpayments. A news report out of Seattle cited payment of “$127,981 for security equipment at several schools and a district warehouse that auditors said doesn’t work or is not functional,” as well as “$14,505 for video surveillance cabling and conduit which auditors estimated was worth $1,054.” To all the honest contractors out there, tell me, does that sound like a legitimate operating margin to you?