ShowIt, the website design firm behind the designs for the state of Florida’s official websites, was the subject of a federal grand jury investigation into the website designs and other state-level websites, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The investigation was launched after the FBI began an investigation into several Florida websites in May 2016, according the Tampa Tribune.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has declined to release the names of the website designers or whether they were also investigated by the FBI.
But the FBI did report in January 2017 that the website designer, Andrew R. Whelan, had provided false information about his involvement in the scheme.
Whelan had claimed he had received $3,000 in federal grant money to design the official websites of the Florida Department.
The grant money was to be used for the design and maintenance of the official website, according a letter to the Florida legislature from the FBI that the Florida Attorney General’s office sent to Whelans attorney.
The letter stated that the money was used to pay for the website’s design and design services.
A federal grand final indictment unsealed in May 2018 accuses Whelann of violating securities laws by receiving the grant money, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has since revoked Whelanes securities registration.