Former NCED Exec. to Jury: ‘I trusted my boss’

Following a day of testimony from defendant Ernie Lopez, both the defense and prosecution rested around 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

Lopez, the former chief operating officer for the National Center for the Employment of the Disabled or NCED, is on trial accused of helping to defraud the federal government out of millions of dollars in government contracts.

On the stand, Lopez told the jury while he was aware NCED was failing to meet disabled employment quotas – a condition for the government contracts – he did not think the company was doing anything illegal.

He said his boss at the time, former NCED President Bob Jones, assured him, “Ernie, I will never make you do anything illegal or immoral.”

Jones has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

The defense also maintained officials from the various government agencies involved in the contracts even toured NCED facilities and never had questions about the employment ratios.

The officials seemed more concerned about production numbers Lopez told jurors.

NCED was contracted to make chemical suits for the military.

Lopez said the skewing of the number of disabled employees was something that had been going on at the company for years and he thought it was accepted by the government.

But the prosecution told jurors Lopez and NCED never bothered to check whether their activity was illegal.

“You never picked up the phone to call anybody and clarify, did you?” asked the federal prosecutor.

Lopez replied, “I didn’t think it was necessary.

While Lopez’s demeanor on the stand was polite and soft-spoken, he was scolded several times on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo for not keeping his answers concise and straying off topic.

Trial resumes Friday morning at 8.