Between August 2022 and January 2024, Butler corrupted competitive bidding processes for military fuel contracts. He submitted dozens of falsified documents, including wire transfer memos and invoices, to multiple U.S. warships attempting to purchase fuel in international ports in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Croatia.
The fraud targeted vessels defending strategic American interests globally. Butler received payments for phony expenses he had not actually incurred, enriching himself with millions of dollars in criminal proceeds.
When Navy officials began scrutinizing his activities, Butler escalated his deception by adopting a false identity. He feigned employment with a fictitious fuel division of a different company to conceal his role from government investigators.
Judge Middlebrooks entered a preliminary order of forfeiture for multiple multi-million-dollar properties Butler purchased in Florida and Colorado using the proceeds of his crimes.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, "The defendant stole millions of dollars from our military with a fake job, fake identity, and fake invoices." He added that the administration takes defrauding the American military seriously.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Antitrust Division emphasized that the Antitrust Division and its staff have zero tolerance for those who seek to corrupt competition. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones noted that defrauding the armed forces undermines operations that protect the country.
The case was prosecuted by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. It was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service as part of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force.