Le Meridien Hotel construction boss charged in scam
Man, 8 others accused of fraud, conspiracy in $3.4 million swindle of the Beck Group
A construction manager overseeing the deluxe Le Meridien Hotel project in downtown Houston is among a crew of people across the country charged in federal court with swindling the Beck Group out of $3.4 million in an elaborate scheme involving fake invoices from shell companies.
Moses Seedorf Said, 42, of Houston, who was hired by the international Beck Group to manage the hotel project, was accused Wednesday in a criminal information of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Eight others based in Houston, Georgia, Colorado and California have been charged with roles in the scam outlined in a 24-count indictment unsealed Thursday in Houston.
Said was picked to manage construction at the Le Meridien Hotel from 2016 to 2017, according to court records.
Prosecutors say he turned in fake invoices he had signed off on asking the Beck Group to pay for services that were never provided.
After the fake contractors received money from Said, they kicked back some of the illegal proceeds to Said, according to court documents.
Others accused in the scheme, Hannah Musleh, 49, and Akram Elias Musleh, 54, both of Houston; Collette Devoe Hines, 49, and Lanamasha Hampton, 42, both of Atlanta, Ga.; Janell Crosby Quant, 38, of Union City, Ga.; Heather Ashley Sowa, 31, of Denver; and William Lewis Sutton Jr., 48, and Charles Lee Williams, 42, both of Los Angeles, are accused of creating shell companies that submitted false invoices to Beck Group seeking reimbursement for construction that never took place.
Investigators said these defendants allegedly transferred the money to other companies and people in an attempt to conceal the nature and origin of their earnings.
All nine people accused in the scheme face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $6.8 million.
Construction of the luxury hotel was announced in 2015, after building permits were obtained to redevelop the longabandoned Melrose building at 1121 Walker, according to Houston Chronicle archives.
The Beck Group, a Dallasbased construction and architecture firm, acquired permits for the project and completion was expected in late 2017.
The hotel has 225 guest rooms, several restaurants and rooftop pool and viewing area.
The project was also featured on the website of Atlantic American Opportunities Fund, a Tampa-based company that provides financing for real estate developments using a federal immigration program that allows foreign citizens to obtain visas by investing in U.S. business operations.