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A former Natchez resident is among four individuals who pleaded guilty in three separate U.S. District Courts to bid rigging and wire fraud involving the sales of sports equipment to hundreds of public schools throughout Mississippi and Louisiana.

Robert Tucker “Bobby” Craig of Starkville, and formerly of Natchez, pleaded guilty to three counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 38 public schools and one count of obstruction of justice for the deletion of related evidence.

The individuals and and one company pleaded guilty between February and March.

Those involved include:

• Craig, who pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 in the Southern District of Mississippi;

• Patrick Joseph Stewart of Hattiesburg, who pleaded guilty Wednesday in the Eastern District of Louisiana to one count of bid rigging and one count of wire fraud affecting sales to at least 69 public schools;

• Maurice Daniel Bowering Jr. of Hattiesburg, who pleaded guilty on March 6 in the Southern District of Louisiana to five counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 50 public schools

• Robert Douglas Heflin of Starkville, who pleaded guilty March 4 in the Northern District of Mississippi to two counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 31 public schools;

• And Mississippi company Wilder Fitness Equipment Inc., which pleaded guilty Feb. 20 in the Northern District of Mississippi to two counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 60 public schools.

According to court documents, Craig, Bowering, Heflin, Stewart, and Wilder Fitness Equipment Inc. entered into conspiracies in which they agreed to submit complementary bids to public schools to obtain procurements for sports equipment and related services. The longest of the charged conspiracies lasted more than a decade. Two other co-conspirators, Charles Ferrell Trimm and Bradley D. Willcutt, previously pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Mississippi in May 2024 and September 2024, respectively.

“School sports are integral to the development and upbringing of American children. From these opportunities, they learn the benefits of teamwork and open competition. Bid rigging, on the other hand, is the antithesis of American meritocracy. It is also patently unlawful,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The defendants here selfishly targeted school sports programs, depriving students of an opportunity to thrive. The Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force has zero tolerance for bid collusion schemes, particularly when they target children.”

“The defendants rigged bids for school sports equipment which resulted in an unfair playing field,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick Lemon for the Southern District of Mississippi. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi is committed to working with our law enforcement and Antitrust Division partners to protect school athletics and taxpayer dollars.”

“Financial fraud perpetrated against the U.S. government is a serious crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Particularly egregious, is fraud that undercuts government procurement processes and erodes public trust in the fair-bidding practice. These guilty pleas send a clear and decisive message that our office, along with our federal partners, will continue to protect the taxpayer by vigorously investigating and prosecuting all such corruption cases.”

“Bid rigging and the collusion that makes it possible drive up prices for taxpayers and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi. “We will continue our commitment to work with the FBI and to root out corruption.”

“This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding public schools from criminal schemes that defraud the American people and exploit taxpayer money,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “Stewart, Bowering, Craig, Heflin, and Wilder Fitness Equipment Inc. were in positions to help shape children’s learning, the benefits of physical fitness in living prosperous lives. Instead, these co-conspirators chose to abuse the trust given to them by stealing future opportunities from students in fraudulently filling their pockets with the hard-earned tax dollars schools are entrusted to invest in the development of America’s future leaders. The FBI will continue to work with our federal partners to relentlessly pursue and bring justice to individuals and companies who use fraudulent schemes to defraud our communities.”

The maximum penalty for the Sherman Act is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit wire fraud is 20 years in prison, a criminal fine, and Court-ordered restitution. The maximum penalty for obstruction in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c) is 20 years in prison and a criminal fine of no more than $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine the sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The guilty pleas result from an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the school sports equipment industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant Chief Laura Butte; Trial Attorneys Jill Rogowski, Marc Hedrich, and Hannah Muller; and Senior Litigation Counsel Paul Torzilli are prosecuting the case.