News
August 18, 2024

Oklahoma Construction Company Indicted in Massive Price-Fixing Scheme

An Oklahoma infrastructure construction company and two employees have been indicted on charges of a $100 million price-fixing scheme.

Sioux Erosion Control, based in Weatherford, Oklahoma, along with Vice President B.G. Dale Biscoe and Estimator Randy Shelton, is accused of colluding with competitors to inflate prices and rig bids for state highway projects. The alleged conspiracy spanned from September 2017 to April 2023.

The Department of Justice claims the companies involved conspired to fix prices for sod and divide up contracts across the state. They also allegedly rigged bids by submitting artificially high prices or refusing to bid altogether.

Biscoe, Shelton, and Sioux face charges under the Sherman Antitrust Act, carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals, and a $100 million fine for corporations. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Four other individuals, including a former Sioux employee, have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme.

Sioux Erosion Control supplies materials and services for soil erosion control on highway projects. Company President Allison Biscoe maintains the company and its executives are innocent.

The Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office investigated the case.