Investigative journalist James O’Keefe of O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) has just released Part 2 of his bombshell report on organizations who are using their Native American “minority” status to obtain government contracts, then pocketing a majority of the funds for themselves while subcontracting out the work.
O’Keefe released Part 1 of the stunning report on Monday, as he donned a wig and went undercover to speak with a woman identified as Melayne Cromwell, a manager for ATI Government Solutions.
O’Keefe explained in a report that ATI is owned by the Susanville Indian Rancheria, a federally recognized native American tribal entity, in northern California.
The undercover investigation exposed how ATI exploits minority-preference programs to secure no-bid government contracts worth over $100 million each while subcontracting out the vast majority of the work. And the group bragged that because they are a “Native American” group, they basically have no competition in their bids for the government contracts.
O’Keefe explained:
We went undercover and arranged meetings with multiple ATI employees, to dig deeper into the truth behind their native american ownership, their small business status, and their excessive use of subcontractors, and what we found was more damning than we were ever expecting.
We posed as representatives from a cybersecurity firm “Sev-Zero Solutions” seeking to navigate the world of minority-owned government contracting – just like ATI. But our approach wasn’t through the front door of a federal bid meeting. Instead, we went through the kitchen.
We reached out to Melayne Cromwell under the guise of hiring her side business – Ragin’ Cajun Catering – to provide food for a corporate event we weren’t actually planning. We found her catering hustle listed on her LinkedIn profile.
The idea was to start the meeting with a casual conversation about catering. Halfway through, we’d “accidentally” realize she was in the same contracting space as us. Cue the surprise: We’d offer to connect her with my fake HR rep from Sev Zero, our fabricated cybersecurity company with a polished fake website to match.
What we didn’t expect was how fast the mask would drop. 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.
O’Keefe also pointed out a mind-boggling detail: In 2025, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded a record-breaking $183 billion in federal contracts to small businesses in 2024 alone, part of over $630 billion distributed under “socially disadvantaged” aligned initiatives.
BELOW IS PART 1 (Originally released on Monday, Oct. 20)
At noon Wednesday, O’Keefe dropped PART 2 of the stunning undercover investigation. CLICK HERE to read his full report.
A description on the YouTube video reads:
A SECOND ATI Employee Admits to $100M Government Contracting Fraud & Details Outsources Work to Global Services Company Accenture.
OMG undercover footage shows ATI Senior Director Anish Abraham detailing Federal Government Contracting Fraud & how their 8a “Native-Owned” Status acts as a shield against accountability.
In our previous investigation, O’Keefe Media Group exposed how ATI Government Solutions – a technology contractor claiming Native American 8(a) small business status – is operated almost entirely by non-Native executives in Washington, D.C. The leadership includes CEO Firmadge Crutchfield, CFO Marina Mulyayeva (his wife and former Olympic swimmer), and CDO Scott Deuschman. The Susanville Indian Rancheria appears only as a 51% paper owner.
This ownership claim unlocks hundreds of millions in taxpayer-funded federal contracts intended for minority-owned small businesses. But behind the facade, ATI outsources as much as 80% of the labor to subcontractors – well beyond the legal 50% threshold – while retaining the bulk of the profits.
Part 2 of our undercover investigation reveals ATI Government Solutions Senior Director Anish Abraham detailing the scheme. This latest revelation exposes how ATI, a supposed Native American-owned contractor, acts as a front to siphon taxpayer millions meant for “socially & economically disadvantaged” businesses, violating federal law and fueling a multi-billion-dollar scam. Abraham reveals how ATI outsources a majority of the work to the global services company Accenture.
WATCH PART 2 BELOW:
Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler first responded on Monday:
SBA has launched an investigation into ATI Government Solutions and Susanville Indian Rancheria.
This is why we have been conducting a full review of the 8(a) Program, ostensibly designed to help “socially and economically disadvantaged” small businesses compete in the federal marketplace. Yet, what we’ve discovered so far has been institutionalized abuse, which potentially amounts to billions of dollars in federal contracts that are run through shell companies, fraudulent pass-throughs, and other schemes.
Later on Wednesday, Loeffler announced:
As of today, the SBA has officially suspended ATI Government Solutions, which is majority-owned by Susanville Indian Rancheria, as well as three of its executives, from conducting any new business with the federal government.
While we continue our investigation, ATI and its referenced executives will not be permitted to bid for federal contracts, subcontracts, or set-asides, and will not be able to receive any federal assistance.
We have been in contact with the Department of Justice and will continue to provide updates as they become available.
As a reminder, whistleblowers with any information about these companies – or any suspected contracting abuse – may submit a tip at: https://sbax.sba.gov/oigcss/.
As of today, the SBA has officially suspended ATI Government Solutions, which is majority-owned by Susanville Indian Rancheria, as well as three of its executives, from conducting any new business with the federal government.
While we continue our investigation, ATI and its… https://t.co/jDrn0DMHqx
— Kelly Loeffler (@SBA_Kelly) October 22, 2025
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