ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands — A Florida man has been charged with providing kickbacks in connection with a $1.7 million federal government roof retrofit contract in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced Monday that David Wikel, president of Florida-based Therma-Seal Roof Systems LLC, was charged in a filing known as an "information" in U.S. District Court of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas and St. John Division.

An information is a formal criminal charge that begins a criminal proceeding. The difference between an information and indictment is that an indictment is presented by a grand jury and information is presented by a duly authorized public official. 

The information charges Wikel with providing kickbacks in connection with federal government subcontract to retrofit the roof of the Ron de Lugo Federal Building in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ St. Thomas

Court documents claim that in May through October 2014 Wikel paid about $218,800 in kickbacks to a senior project manager (identified only as B.P. in filings) for the prime contract on the Ron de Lugo Project, and that person ultimately funneled $85,000 back to Wikel.

Filings also allege that Wikel falsely inflated the costs billed under the subcontract in order to cover the aforementioned kickbacks.

This case is being investigated by the General Services Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of the Inspector General, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

No other documents have been filed in connection with the case.

A message left with an individual answering the phone at Therma-Seal seeking comment specifically about the court filings has not been returned.