Five years after being indicted, Armet Armoured Vehicles and owner/CEO William Whyte have come to trial in U.S. District Court in Danville on charges of major fraud against the U.S. government, wire fraud and false or fraudulent claims.
“This case is about greed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Carlton said at the beginning of her opening statements on the first day of trial Monday. “Greed that compromised the safety of American soldiers, bravely serving their country in Iraq.”
Defense Attorney Justin Lugar, of Roanoke-based law firm Gentry and Locke, agreed with the prosecutor on many points, however, including the fact that Armet’s fulfillment of this contract was a failure. However, Luger stipulated that it was not intentional fraud.
