El Paso CEO Ernesto Lopez Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Embezzlement

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that former National Center for the Employment of the Disabled CEO Ernesto Alonzo Lopez was sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $4 million in restitution to the U.S. Department of Defense for embezzling millions of dollars in government program funds.

According to federal prosecutors, Ernesto Lopez was convicted late last year of one count of conspiracy to make false statements and defrauding the U.S. as well as one count of making false statements.

During the trial, evidence was presented that between late 2002 and early 2006 that Lopez and former center CEO and President Robert Edward Jones conspired to lie and make false claims about NCED being in compliance with the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act.

That act required NCED to employ blind or severely handicapped individuals to perform at least 75 percent of NCED’s work. Compliance with the act entitled NCED to receive no-bid contracts from various government agencies.

Prosecutors said that based on the evidence presented at the trial, jurors found that NCED did not meet these requirements and thus was not qualified to receive the contracts.

Jones was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month for his involvement in the case.

The investigation is still ongoing.