Disadvantaged’ Beverly Hills Fashionista Worked No-Show VA Job, Took Millions - From Feds from The Daily Caller
Luke Rosiak
September 13, 2016
http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/11/disadvantaged-beverly-hills-fashionista-worked-no-show-va-job-took-millions-from-feds/?utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

A fashionista from Beverly Hills, Calif., collected millions in interior design contracts from federal agencies by claiming to be “disadvantaged,” while simultaneously working at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sending work to design companies.

Ronda C. Jackson was a no-show at her VA job, colleagues said. Records show she instead spent her time running a design company that got $7 million in contracts from the VA and other government agencies since 2008, reselling them marked-up goods like five-seat tables for $17,000.

Since 1997, Jackson has run Décor Interior Design, which seeks preference on government contracts by claiming to be disadvantaged because she is black, a woman and based out of a supposedly downtrodden “Historically Underutilized Business Zone” (HUBZone). The reduced-competition contracting program is known as 8(a).

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Jackson charged $70,000 for an unspecified “21 [inch] freestanding unit” and $17,000 for a five-person outdoor table.

Ninety-eight percent of the nearly $7 million in contracting dollars awarded to Jackson’s company came without the government weighing her offer against those of other companies.

The press office of the regional headquarters of the VA refused to say why it would allow a federal employee to run a government contracting company that directly conflicted with her duties, or say if she was fired for not showing up. It also would not provide the exact dates of her employment.

Jackson’s case underscores questions about VA’s army of 167 full-time interior designers. Nearly every VA hospital in the country has one or more.

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In an essay in the Huffington Post, Jackson said, “the journey is rocky, reckless and only until recent [sic], rewarding. After 15 years in business, I was awarded my first seven ­figure contract from the federal government in 2012.

“Federal contracting is inundated with what seems to be redundant paperwork,” she said. “Not only did I get help with government contracting, I was also able to acquire several socio­economic certifications, including the 8(a). There is a new commodity in my company’s portfolio … the SBA. This is the part of the day where I close my eyes and picture everything I want for my business; our new office, multi­millions [sic] dollar contracts, and family vacations.”