Coos Bay Firm Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Government, July 21

The owner of a Coos Bay business that provided parts to the U.S. Department of Defense that were deemed defective, has pled guilty in federal court to Conspiracy to Commit Fraud.  Sixty-year old Harold Ray Bettencourt II, his three sons, 34-year old Bo Betterncourt, 32-year old Nicholas Ryan Bettencourt, and 28-year old Peter Tracy Bettencourt, and an office manager, 43-year old Margo Antoinette Densmore, will be sentenced December 10 & 11 in Portland.  According to the U.S. Attorney, the Bettencourts, through their company Kustom Products Incorporated, committed $10 million of wire fraud, money laundering and trafficking in counterfeit goods and services.  As part of their plea, the defendants agreed to forfeit $365,000, eight vehicles, one boat, two boat trailers, two jet skis and three all-terrain vehicles.  The legal action covers supplies provided by KPI to the Department of Defense between 2006 & 2010.