This article originally aired on The Gateway Pundit and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Jim Hᴏft
An explosive new undercover investigation by O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) released Monday on X has blown the lid off a massive federal contracting scandal, a $100 billion scheme exploiting taxpayer-funded minority-preference programs under the Biden Administration.
In a shocking undercover video posted on X, OMG revealed how ATI Government Solutions, a federal contractor supposedly “Native American-owned,” admitted to exploiting the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program to grab over $100 million in no-bid government contracts, while outsourcing up to 80% of the work to other firms.
“I tell you pass-throughs are a great thing!”
“We only do 20%… The rest goes to subs.”
“And remember, there’s no competition.”
James O’Keefe, posing as representatives from a fake cybersecurity firm called “Sev-Zero Solutions,” met Cromwell under the guise of hiring her catering side business.
Within minutes, the ATI executive bragged about how the company leverages its Native American tribal affiliation with the Susanville Indian Rancheria to obtain exclusive federal contracts, then turns around and pays subcontractors to do almost all the work.
O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) reported:
Within two minutes of sitting down with Melayne at a restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, she volunteered the entire scheme – no prompting, no hesitation. She told us she was the Director of Contracts for ATI Government Solutions. Then she dropped the real bombshell:
“Because we’re Native American-owned, we’re heavily favored for government contracts.” “There’s no bidding war.” Said Cromwell
She explained how ATI uses its tribal status to lock down multi-million dollar no-bid contracts, then passes off the majority of the work to subcontractors-firms that would never qualify on their own. Meanwhile, ATI keeps the lion’s share of the cash. Cromwell revealed to our undercover journalist;
“So, a lot of our subcontractors bid on contracts that were perfect in their industry, but because they weren’t Native American, they wouldn’t win it,” she said. “So we bid on it for them, they become our sub, and it’s an automatic win because you’re Native American status. There’s no bidding war.”
Under the 8(a) system, meant to empower disadvantaged businesses, “pass-through” contractors such as ATI serve as paper fronts, taking much of the money off the top while doing little or none of the work. Cromwell admitted the company performs only 20% of its multi-million-dollar no-bid federal contracts, subcontracting out the remaining 80% – a textbook case of a “pass-through” scheme.
“Correct. Yeah. They’re doing most of the work. But you want to really stay on, make sure they’re on time.”
“So, we do about 20% of the work.”
“You don’t want to share that,” – Cromwell added.
In short, ATI secures the contracts, gets the money, acts as a passthrough and it’s the tax payer who gets screwed over.
On paper, ATI is owned by the Susanville Indian Rancheria, a federally recognized native american tribal entity, in northern california.
Arian confirmed to us that if they were to appear as the owners of our company it would make it easier to obtain government contracts, and goes on to claim that we may need to relinquish 51% of the ownership to them.
OMG Undercover Journalist: “So really, it’s really just coming up with a number that you would want in order to appear to be the owner of our company. So we’ll discuss what percentage you would get when we come to the signing of the contract.”
Melayne confirms that ATI is abiding by this 51% tribal ownership…on paper.
“51% On paper. Correct. as long as it’s on paper. That you’re 51%, you’re good to go.” Said Cromwell.
ATI may be 51% tribally owned by the Susanville Indian Rancheria ON PAPER, But Melayne revealed to us that ATI was founded in collaboration with the Rancheria by two caucasian DC executives; Firmadge Crutchfeld and Scott Deutschman. And that they manage all of ATI’s operations.
In 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded a record-breaking $183 billion in federal contracts to “small businesses,” including those under “socially disadvantaged” categories like 8(a).
But as the OMG exposé shows, many of these firms are front companies exploiting racial-preference loopholes to funnel billions to private consultants and politically connected insiders.
This comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling in Kousisis v. United States, which found that falsely claiming minority status to obtain federal contracts constitutes wire fraud, even if the contracted work is completed.
After being contacted for comment, Cromwell denied any ongoing affiliation with ATI, claiming she was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company and that her prior comments were made under false pretenses.
Dear O’Keefe Media Group,
Following my earlier email, I would like to clarify that at the time of our initial interaction, you did not identify yourselves as representatives of O’Keefe Media Group. You introduced yourselves and conducted that meeting under the name Sev Zero Solutions, which was the only entity I understood to be involved.
I was not informed that our conversation or any recording was affiliated with O’Keefe Media Group. Approximately a month later, individuals from your organization approached me unexpectedly in a parking lot with cameras, revealing that they were with O’Keefe Media Group and had been disguised (including the use of a wig) during the prior meeting.
Regardless of any state consent laws, I did not consent to the use or public dissemination of my image, voice, or statements in any form of media, and I do not authorize O’Keefe Media Group or any affiliated parties to do so. Please ensure that no portion of these interactions or my name is used, published, or referenced in connection with your organization.
I reserve all rights regarding any unauthorized use or distribution of my image, likeness, or statements.
Best regards,
Melayne A.C. Richards
This revelation could just be the beginning. O’Keefe Media Group teased that Part 2 of its investigation will feature another ATI director caught on camera admitting similar schemes.
WATCH:
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This scam has been going on for 25 years. I first witnessed its use in 2001. This corruption is old school.
So massive amounts of money available, sourcing based on skin color/ethnicity and a bureaucracy more interested in optics than performance?
Yes, Virginia, fraud will most certainly exist.