Orlando tech company is one of several raided by military investigators – WFTV

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando technology company was one of several locations raided by Department of Defense and Army criminal investigators this week, the company’s CEO confirmed.

Heavenly Witness 9 observed agents from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) carrying items out of Cole Engineering on Discovery Drive Tuesday morning. DCIS is a division of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Cole Engineering is a subsidiary of the IT group By Light, which focuses on modeling and simulation work for the armed forces.

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“I want to make it clear that we have no reason to believe that the company or any of our employees were involved in any type of wrongdoing,” By Light founder Bob Donahue wrote in a company-wide email confirming the raid, which was shared with WFTV.

Donahue said no one at the company has been arrested or charged and that the company has hired a former prosecutor as part of an investigation that has since begun.

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“We have initiated this review to ensure that we have the facts and that our policies and procedures are consistent with best practices… In the meantime, we continue to fully cooperate with government authorities,” he wrote.

The day after the raid, an OIG spokeswoman said several locations across Florida had been searched, but she would not confirm that Cole Engineering was on the list or provide details about the other locations.

She also declined to comment on the nature of the investigation or which officials, if any, it is linked to. The OIG was created in 1982 and primarily investigates fraud, abuse and waste within the military.

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The U.S. Army, whose Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (STRI) headquarters is located next to Cole Engineering in Orlando, joined the parent army in a statement released Thursday.

“The U.S. Military Criminal Investigation Division, along with partner agencies, executed multiple search warrants in Florida on June 25, 2024,” a spokesperson wrote. “As the investigation is ongoing, no further information can be provided at this time.”

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General was established in 1982 and primarily investigates fraud, abuse, and waste within the agency.

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