Port workers charged in scheme

Feds: Port Everglades employees, business defrauded county

One current and three former Port Everglades employees — and the operator of a company that did business at the Broward Countyowned facility — ripped off the county through a fraud scheme using county-issued purchasing cards, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The workers would charge the port for goods and services that were never provided, while the business operator filed false invoices, prosecutors said. After county auditors became aware of the potential abuse last year, the feds got involved because the port receives taxpayer-supported federal grants and subsidies and other federal assistance.

Each of the five individuals was charged with a felony, conspiracy to commit fraud with programs receiving federal funds. More than $400,000 in questionable expenses over the course of a decade were uncovered, according to court documents.

Those charged are David Moore and William Woessner, who were employed in the port’s plumbing department; John McGahee, who works in the fend

ering department; Rajindra Lallharry, who was a port storekeeper; and Bryan Zascavage, operator of Z&Z Inc.

The men have not been arrested but are expected to turn themselves in to authorities, prosecutors said. McGahee and an attorney for Lallharry declined comment. The others either could not be reached or did not return calls seeking comment.

Lallharry, 60, of Coral Springs, was fired in May after county auditors said he used his county credit card to buy materials for the port through his familyowned businesses and to purchase other goods for family members.

Moore, 43, of Pompano Beach, was fired in August because of more than $18,000 in questionable purchases — including 11 faucets, 11 backflow-preventer repair kits and 108 feet of red brass pipe that could not be accounted for — that he submitted over a year’s time, officials said. Moore was later allowed to resign after his union stepped in to contest the procedures followed by the county in firing him.

Woessner, 68, of Margate, retired in 2016. He also owns All County Plumbing.

McGahee, 43, of Davie, is still employed at the port, where he’s worked since 1998. The fendering department handles bumpers that are used to protect vessels and docks from being damaged. Broward Commissioner Michael Udine said he was informed the port plans to begin termination proceedings against McGahee.

Zascavage, 57, of Pompano Beach, is accused of splitting a total of $207,444 obtained through his alleged fraud with Moore, McGahee and Woessner.

The investigation began after county auditors learned of possible misuse of the county-issued purchasing cards, called PCards, which are similar to a credit card and are issued to some county employees. More than 30 P-Cards held by port public works employees were suspended last year and auditors found that parts and supplies were not being being tracked in the port’s inventory system, creating the possibility of greater abuses.

“I’m confident that the auditors and law enforcement are doing the right thing,” Udine said. The county’s relationship with its employees has to be based on trust, he said.

In the charges filed Wednesday, federal prosecutors said:

Woessner would provide Zascavage on occasion with a pair of lists: one that had materials Woessner needed for his plumbing company and a second that had more expensive materials that he knew the port would need. Zascavage would submit false invoices for the more expensive equipment, buy Woessner the equipment he needed for his company and pocket the difference. Between 2008 and 2016, they obtained $153,685.88 through the scheme.

Moore conspired with Zascavage to use P-Cards to charge for items that weren’t delivered and to falsify invoices to say they were. Between 2012 and 2018, the two split $36,505.71.

McGahee conspired with Zascavage to use his purchasing card to pay for services that weren’t provided. Zascavage filed invoices for maintenance work on hydraulic drills at the port where McGahee either did the work himself or no maintenance work was performed. Between 2011 and 2014, the two split $17,252.16.

Lallharry charged the county $229,178.26 between 2012 and 2018 for P-Card purchases of supplies from family-owned companies — including vacuums, refrigerators and portable air conditioners — that were never delivered. In some cases, he would remove a family member’s name from an invoice to avoid discovery. He used the money to cover personal expenses, including $101,790.85 for monthly payments to a bankruptcy trustee.

If convicted, the five could each face five years in prison and a fine of either $250,000 or double their gross gain, whichever is greater.

“We have been working in cooperation with authorities throughout the investigation and will continue to assist law enforcement as these cases move forward,” said acting Port Director Glenn Wiltshire.