Four retired Army colonels have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government by using bribes to rig Pentagon contracts worth millions, ArmyTimes reports.
Retired Col. Joseph D. Young, 64, pleaded guilty in federal court last week after he and three others were caught giving bribes so they could get information technology contracts at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Retired colonels Anthony R. Williams, 59, Calvin D. Lawyer, 60, and Anthony T. Roper, 57, all pleaded guilty to conspiring to push contracts to CREC Group, a company owned by Lawyer.
According to ArmyTimes, Young and a colleague of his payed Williams' spouse over $1.2 million between 2008 and 2014 to get a "no-show" job at their IT company, J.Y. & Associates, which worked as a subcontractor for CREC Group. During this time, Young worked at the Pentagon for the Army's deputy chief of staff for human resources, where he provided "oversight and management of a billion dollar battle command budget," according to court records. Roper was involving in monitoring Fort Gordon's strategy to modernize their network.
Two unidentified active-duty officers gave the four "internal, confidential, and proprietary information during meetings, telephone calls and in electronic communications," which helped them drive contracts towards their businesses. CREC group also obtained "small business administration status" after Lawyer falsely represented it as a small, disadvantaged company.
Young faces five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine in addition to the $1.1 million in restitution that he owes, as part of his plea agreement. The co-conspirators are already serving five-year sentences after pleading guilty.
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