FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The former head of a local commercial roofing company is facing serious prison time after admitting he helped rig bids for projects across Florida. Gregg Wallick of Fort Lauderdale pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating the Sherman Act, a federal law designed to keep business competition fair. Investigators say Wallick led a conspiracy to suppress competition, effectively stripping customers of the chance to get a fair price for essential roofing work.
The United States Department of Justice says court documents reveal a calculated scheme where Wallick and his co-conspirators met before submitting bids to decide who would win the contract. To make the process look legitimate, one company would purposely submit an intentionally high “cover” bid to ensure the other company’s price looked better by comparison. This “cheat code” approach lasted from late 2020 through early 2022, allowing Wallick’s company to pocket more than $3.5 million through projects that weren’t actually won on merit.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad called the scheme an “illegal cheat code” used against customers in a hurricane-prone area who were simply trying to protect their properties. The FBI’s Miami Field Office added that instead of competing, Wallick turned the bidding process on its head just to line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains.
Wallick pleaded guilty to one felony count of restraining trade, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
