South Florida Couple Bilked Department of VA for Thousands: Authorities

The president and vice-president of a South Florida training center are facing charges after authorities say they bilked the Department of Veterans Affairs for $200,000.

Marlon Hyde and Tarike Clark, who are a couple, are facing fraud, grand theft and conspiracy charges, according to Broward Circuit court documents released Wednesday. Hyde, 40, and Clark, 34, were being held on $207,500 bond each Wednesday, jail records showed.

Kenyon Fussell, who works in the same building as the couple, said he thought Hyde and Clark were just “normal people.”

“Most people that I sent over there said he charged them a decent price,” Fussell said.

According to the documents, Hyde, the president of Hy-Tech Training Center in Miramar, and Clark, the company's vice president, billed the VA inflated amounts for training courses in private investigations provided to veterans at the center.

In one instance, the company billed the VA $5,750 for a private investigator course that cost students $499, the documents said. The course was also offered on Groupon for just $249. The company billed the VA for 103 veterans. The VA lost approximately $200,000, the documents said.

Hyde’s attorney said there was no fraud, just a small businessman billing the government appropriately.

“I presume the VA looks at invoices that are submitted to them,” said defense attorney Martin Roth. “They audit the invoices and they pay them when they’re appropriate. These are paid invoices.”

Contact Us