2 Pleaded Guilty In MacDill Air Force Base Kickback Scheme: U.S. DOJ

TAMPA, FL — Two men — one a government employee, the other a government contractor — pleaded guilty to charges related to a kickback scheme involving MacDill Air Force Base’s intramural sports program, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Keith Pilawski, 63, of Lutz and Edwin Ortiz, 58, of Brandon have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

They each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

As part of their plea agreements, Pilawski has agreed to forfeit $67,183, and Ortiz has agreed to forfeit $163,300, the proceeds of their crimes, the DOJ said.

A sentencing date hasn’t been set.

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According to the plea agreements, from 2009 until 2024, while Pilawski was employed as the intramural sports director for MacDill Air Force Base, he and Ortiz participated in a scheme to defraud the base’s intramural sports program.

Instead of selecting the least expensive contractor, Pilawski steered all officiating duties to Ortiz’s company, and scheduled games around Ortiz’s schedule, the DOJ said.

Pilawski also authorized payments to Ortiz for services that were not covered under the contract and at times not even performed, the department said. Ortiz then kicked back a portion of the overpayments to Pilawski.