Owner and trainer Mick Ruis Sr. is one of three scaffolding executives indicted by San Diego federal prosecutors for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States by using deceptive tactics to secure construction contracts with the U.S. Navy, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Ruis is best known for training multiple grade 1 winner and Kentucky Derby (G1) participant Bolt d'Oro .
Ruis, who is the lead defendant, was indicted alongside two co-defendants—Isaiah Levi Diehl and Shawn Peilun Huang on federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and major fraud against the U.S. All three men pleaded not guilty earlier this month in U.S. District Court in San Diego, Calif., according to the Union-Tribune.
According to the indictment, the three co-defendants orchestrated two separate contracting fraud schemes across parts of 2020 and 2021 involving Navy Sea Systems Command, commonly known as NAVSEA.
The purported scheme, involving a contract with a ceiling of $17.6 million, was allegedly successful when government personnel in 2021 awarded the contract to Vertical Horizon Marine— a supposed small business owned by co-defendant Huang that was eligible for certain contracts the Navy sets aside for small businesses—which was not a small business eligible to win the contract, instead of Vertical Horizon Scaffold, the small business that initially bid on the contract.
The second scheme allegedly took aim at NAVSEA's Southeast Regional Maintenance Center in Florida. Prosecutors state the defendants used Huang's company, Vertical Horizon Scaffold, to apply for a small-business contract worth up to $7 million. This time, however, they allegedly intended to use the small firm as a front to win the bid before outsourcing the work to two larger companies that were ineligible for the contract.
The indictment did not name those companies, but government records showed they were Vertical Horizon Marine and American Scaffold.
Ruis' attorney Jan Ronis told the Union-Tribune, "My only response at this time is that Mr. Ruis has only been given a copy of the indictment and has made an appearance in court in which a plea of not guilty has been entered. Keeping in mind the American tradition that an indictment is not evidence, and a person charged is presumed to be innocent, it would be inappropriate to comment further in this very early stage of the proceedings."
Anthony Colombo Jr., Diehl's lawyer, also reminded the public that his client is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
"It is important to note what the indictment does not allege—there are no allegations that any financial loss occurred," Colombo said in a statement provided by the Union-Tribune.
"The contracts were awarded and completed to satisfaction. Additionally, the indictment, although within the statute of limitations of five years, was filed right before the time expired. The staleness of the timing casts doubt on the accuracy of the allegations."
Ruis trained Bolt d'Oro to a trio of grade 1 victories, including wins in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and FrontRunner Stakes (G1) in 2017. The son of Medaglia d'Oro would cross the wire second behind eventual Triple Crown winner Justify in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby (G1) but was later promoted to the win in 2024 when California stewards disqualified Justify from the win due to a positive test for scopolamine.
Ruis has started limited horses in recent years. According to Equibase, he saddled one winner from 11 starters thus far in 2026. His most recent starter came at Del Mar on Sept. 6 when he sent out Gordon's Legacy to a sixth-place finish in a starter optional claiming race. Ruis has 69 winners from 596 starts with earnings of $4,499,393 for his career.
