Jones signs plea agreement on wire fraud charge

A Murray businessman charged with wire fraud has signed a plea agreement.

According to court documents, Charles "Chuck" Jones signed a plea agreement on January 21, entering a guilty plea on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The offense carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, a fine of $250,000 or less, a period of supervised release for up to 5 years, and a special assesment fee of $100.

The documents show they have agreed to a sentence of no more than 18 months in prison.

A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Jones, who owned Technology Associates, Inc. and Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc., and Mark J. Whitaker, were indicted in 2019 on the conspiracy charge and a wire fraud charge.

According to the indictment, Jones and Whitaker conspired with another man to fabricate documents and make false statements to administrators of the FCC's E-rate Program, which would pay up to 90 percent of costs for telecommunications equipment and services for schools and students.

The documents alleged the men's goal was to circumvent E-rate program rules by falsely claiming that Jones had invoiced the schools.