Two Veterans Admit to $150K Fraud in Florida Air Force Base Sports Program

In a critical turn of events, two retired U.S. service members, one of whom served as the intramural sports director at MacDill Air Force Base for many years, have admitted to their involvement in a scheme to embezzle over $150,000 from the base’s sports program spanning a decade and a half, according to federal prosecutors.

Keith Pilawski, 63, who has overseen the intramural program at the Tampa installation since 2006, along with Edwin Ortiz, 58, a government contractor responsible for supplying referees for games, have both confessed to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida on August 20.

According to prosecutors, the fraudulent activities spanned from 2009 to 2024. Pilawski has consented to relinquish $67,183, while Ortiz will forfeit $163,300 — funds that the government has labeled as “the proceeds of criminal conduct.” Both individuals are staring down the possibility of prison sentences during the upcoming sentencing phase.

Court documents reveal that Pilawski was responsible for organizing teams, games, and officials for MacDill’s continuous sports program, which receives funding from Air Force dollars allocated by Congress. Initially, he was expected to depend on active-duty airmen to serve as referees, and then consider outside contractors. Prosecutors alleged that Pilawski directed all officiating contracts to Ortiz’s company, even arranging game schedules to accommodate Ortiz’s availability.

In a striking development, Pilawski took on the role of a referee for Ortiz while simultaneously drawing his salary from the Air Force, a situation prosecutors have labeled as “double-dipping.” He also sanctioned exaggerated or fraudulent invoices, which included payments for games that never took place or services that exceeded the terms of Ortiz’s contract. According to investigators, Ortiz subsequently redirected a portion of the overpayments to Pilawski.

Prosecutors revealed that Pilawski authorized payments to Ortiz for services that had no connection to his government contract, including some that were never actually rendered.

Anthony B. Rickman, the defense attorney for Ortiz, conveyed to McClatchy News that his client “is a highly decorated (retired) non-commissioned officer of the United States Air Force who proudly served our country for over 23 years.”

“Mr. Ortiz has dedicated the past 15 years to officiating thousands of intramural games at MacDill Air Force Base,” Rickman stated in an email. “He demonstrated complete cooperation with the investigation, took responsibility for his actions, admitted his guilt, made restitution, and fulfilled the forfeiture requirements in their entirety.”

The attorney representing Pilawski has yet to respond to inquiries for comment.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations managed the case. The scheduling of sentencing hearings for both individuals remains pending.

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