Orlando tech firm one of several raided by military investigators

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

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Skywitness 9 observed Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) agents carrying items out of Cole Engineering on Discovery Drive Tuesday morning. DCIS is a branch of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (OIG).

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

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“I want to be clear that we have no reason to believe that the company or any of our employees have been engaged in any kind of wrongdoing,” By Light Founder Bob Donahue wrote in a company-wide email confirming the raid that was shared with WFTV.

Donahue said no one in the company had been arrested or charged, and the company had hired a former prosecutor as part of a review the company has since launched.

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

The day after the raid, an OIG spokeswoman said multiple locations were searched across Florida, but she refused to confirm Cole Engineering was on the list, or provide details about the other sites.

She also refused to comment on the nature of the investigation or which officials, if any, it’s tied to. OIG was established in 1982 and primarily investigates fraud, abuse, and waste within the military.

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The United States Army, which has its Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (STRI) headquarters adjacent to Cole Engineering in Orlando, echoed its parent branch in a statement released Thursday.

“Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, alongside partner agencies, executed multiple search warrants in Florida on June 25, 2024,” a spokesman wrote. “As the investigation is still in progress, no additional information can be provided at this time.”

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

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