Feds: Schemers twisted lab connections

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Federal agents said two Albuquerque men used their business connection with New Mexico's national labs to steal nearly $2 million from computer-maker Dell Inc..

The two men are each charged with 128 counts of fraud.

Secret Service agents said they pretended to work for the labs to get thousands of expensive parts and computers.

For years, Allan Freidt and Ron Campos had Dell ship laptops and other equipment to a store just off Central Avenue in Nob Hill, investigators said.

Dell thought Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs placed the orders, but they were actually part of a scheme the feds called "Operation Motherboard."

"They've had an ongoing fraudulent scheme for years," Albuquerque Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Rich Ferretti said.

Freidt used to work at Technology Integration Group.  TIG buys and distributes computers and parts for both national labs.

"They were fraudulently using service tag numbers on Dell equipment to obtain Dell products without authorization to the tune of $1.8 million," Ferretti said.

Investigators said Friedt would get and give service tag numbers to Campos who, along with Friedt, is named in a 128-count indictment.

Agents said Campos called up Dell and said he needed new computers and parts for national lab equipment that was covered under warranty.

The feds said this may have been going on for a decade until Dell caught on in 2009.

"Dell Corporation contacted our Financial Crimes Task Force, and that's how we go on to this case," Ferretti said.

The Secret Service traced thousands of deliveries to Campos' brother's computer shop near Nob Hill and to his South Valley home.

"We've been working this case with the Department of Energy's Office of the Inspector General," Ferretti said.

The DOE got involved because there were national security concerns that the men may have been able to get their hands on old parts with sensitive lab data.

Investigators found that did not happen.

The feds do know if the two men were selling the computers and parts.

Campos told investigators he was building computers for the underprivileged, but they did not buy it.

Both Campos and Friedt are scheduled to appear in court in June.