NEW YORK — A jury has convicted a Mississauga, Ont., man who secured nearly US$1 billion in contracts to rebuild the World Trade Center and then defrauded a program meant to benefit minorities and women.
The jury in Manhattan federal court deliberated less than a day before convicting Larry Davis.
The 65-year-old man had insisted he did not defraud the program.
Prosecutors said Davis falsely claimed he had complied with rules requiring that he hire subcontractors who qualified for a program meant to benefit businesses owned by minorities and women.
The government said Davis submitted false payroll records from 2009 through 2012 to make it seem he was complying with the rules.
His lawyer had portrayed him as a hero in the rebuilding of skyscrapers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
