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Former agent pleads guilty in scheme to seize money for personal useFormer agent pleads guilty in scheme to seize money for personal use

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PHOENIX — A former federal agent pleaded guilty to two charges accusing him of fraudulently seizing more than $1 million during investigations and using the money to buy a car and land, and to pay off his mortgage, officials said Wednesday.

Scott Allen Gompert, who had investigated health-care fraud for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' office of the inspector general, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of forging the signature of a judge or court officer and to a charge of bank fraud. He also agreed to forfeit about $550,000 in cash and some property.

Gompert faces up to 35 years in prison and fines totaling more than $1.2 million when he is sentenced Jan. 28 in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

"Mr. Gompert has taken responsibility for his conduct and we're going to wait for the sentencing to see what happens," said his attorney, Patricia Gitre. "He's been very forthcoming about what happened."

According to a statement from federal officials, Gompert used expertise and connections developed during his time as an investigative agent to identify bank accounts holding proceeds from fraudulent activity.

He then created fake seizure warrants and forged federal judges' signatures to steal more than $1.1 million during three investigations in 2005 and 2006.

Gompert deposited the money into an account he opened at a Phoenix bank, according to the plea agreement Gompert signed.

He used part of the first seizure, which totaled more than $253,000, to pay off his mortgage and some credit-card debt and to buy a 2005 Toyota Avalon, according to the court documents. He put some of the money he seized later into a CD.

Court documents show he made the last fraudulent seizure after deciding in January 2006 that he no longer wanted to work for the federal government.

He used part of the stolen money to buy land in Peoria, a Phoenix suburb. Court documents say he intended to go into the business of building high-end homes.