23-05-2025
Former asphalt company president gets prison for bid rigging conspiracy
The former president of a Michigan asphalt paving company was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine for his role in a years-long bid-rigging conspiracy.
Daniel Israel, 63, who served as president and part-owner of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), pleaded guilty in October 2023 to conspiring with Al's Asphalt Paving Co. and employees from those companies to "rig bids in each other's favor," the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday, May 23.
Israel participated in the conspiracy from 2013 to 2018. Court documents show the co-conspirators coordinated bid prices to ensure preselected companies won certain contracts, submitting intentionally high or noncompetitive bids to mislead customers into believing the process was fair, according to the Justice Department.
More: How asphalt firm fixed the bids to fix the damn roads — and got caught
'Economic crime — like bid rigging — is no less harmful than violent crime,' said Omeed Assefi of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division in a statement. 'Both inflict deep, lasting harm on our communities and disenfranchise those who believe in the American dream. As the defendant admitted, he conspired to eliminate competition to further enrich himself and his accomplices."
Israel is one of seven individuals and three companies charged in the ongoing federal antitrust investigation, which has yielded over $8.2 million in criminal fines.
ASI and another former executive and part-owner, Bruce Israel, also pleaded guilty in January 2024 for his role in the conspiracy. ASI was sentenced to pay $6.5 million in August 2024. Al's Asphalt and two of its executives entered guilty pleas in 2024.
Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Pontiac asphalt executive gets 6 months, $500K fine for bid rigging
