Business ProfileforAtius Technology Institute, LLC

The following describes a government action that has been resolved by either a settlement or a decision by a court or administrative agency. If the matter is being appealed, it will be noted below.

On July 17, 2018, Albert Poawui, owner of Atius Technology Institute (Atius), and his employee, Sombo Kanneh, entered into a Plea Agreement with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The agreement settles allegations that the business bribed a public official at the VA Program for Disabled Military Veterans.  Specifically, Poawui agreed to pay the public official a seven percent cash kickback of all payments made by the VA to Atius. Poawui also attempted to cover-up misrepresentations that veterans attending Atius were enrolled in up to 32 hours of class per week, when the school only offered a maximum of six class hours per week. In total, the VA paid Atius $2,217,259.44 between August 2015 and December 2017. Poawui was sentenced to 70 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution to the VA. Kanneh was sentenced to 20 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $113,227.30 in restitution to the VA and to forfeit $1.5 million.