TEXARKANA, Texas —4 people, together with two Pink River Military Depot) officers, have been sentenced for federal violations within the Jap District of Texas, introduced U.S. Lawyer Brit Featherston Monday.
Jeffrey Harrison, 44, of Texarkana, a former RRAD vendor, pleaded responsible on Could 18, 2021, to bribing Jimmy Scarbrough, a former RRAD official, and was sentenced to 30 months in federal jail immediately by U.S. District Decide Robert W. Schroeder, III. Harrison was additionally ordered to forfeit $300,000.
Justin Bishop, 52, of Clarksville, a former RRAD vendor, pleaded responsible on Could 18, 2021, to bribing Scarbrough and was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal jail on Sep. 6, 2022, by Decide Schroeder. Bishop was additionally ordered to forfeit $55,000.
Devin McEwin, 43, of Avery, a former RRAD official, pleaded responsible on Could 27, 2021, to receiving bribes from Harrison and was sentenced to a five-year time period of federal probation, together with eight months of house confinement. McEwin was additionally ordered to forfeit $21,000 and pay a advantageous of $5,000.
Louis Singleton, 64, of Texarkana, a former RRAD official, pleaded responsible on April 27, 2022, to receiving bribes from Harrison and others and was sentenced to 5 years of federal probation, together with eight months of house confinement, and was ordered to forfeit $18,000.
The Pink River Military Depot is a key element of our nation’s protection infrastructure and is the lifeblood of the encircling neighborhood,” stated U.S. Lawyer Brit Featherston. “Scarbrough, Harrison, Bishop, McEwin, Singleton, and others exploited the general public belief with a purpose to line their very own pockets and undermined the warfighting mission of the Depot within the course of.”
“These sentences are a direct reflection of the tenacity and teamwork by MPFU particular brokers and our regulation enforcement companions,” stated SA Scott Moreland, Particular Agent-in-Cost of the Main Procurement Fraud Discipline Workplace (MPFFO), U.S. Military CID. “Bribery and different fraud schemes haven’t any place within the authorities contracting system and those that try will probably be caught.”
“Immediately’s announcement highlights a profitable collaboration amongst companion companies as we collectively maintain these defendants accountable for allegedly making a fraudulent and misleading scheme in opposition to the federal government and the folks of the US. We stay dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of those that selfishly leverage authorities applications for their very own private achieve,” stated Dallas FBI Particular Agent in Cost, Matthew J. DeSarno.
In keeping with info introduced in courtroom, Scarbrough was the Tools Mechanic Supervisor on the RRAD in Texarkana, Texas, a place he held from November 2001 till Could 2019. Scarbrough directed greater than $7 million in purchases from RRAD to Harrison and Bishop by means of the federal government buy card (GPC) program.
To be able to manipulate the GPC program, which is designed to make sure a aggressive bidding course of, Scarbrough advised the distributors what to bid, together with the merchandise, the amount, and the worth. By accumulating pretend bids from a number of distributors, Scarbrough was in a position to direct RRAD purchases to his choose distributors, on this case Harrison and Bishop, whereas sustaining the looks of a aggressive bidding course of.
Scarbrough additionally defrauded the US by falsely certifying that he had obtained the bought objects, subsequently inflicting the RRAD to pay his choose distributors. Nevertheless, the fact was that Scarborough instructed the distributors to not ship sure RRAD-purchased objects.
Scarbrough demanded lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in bribes from his chosen distributors. Scarbrough accepted bribes in numerous varieties, together with receiving at the very least $116,000.00 in U.S. Postal Service cash orders from Harrison. Scarbrough additionally had Harrison and Bishop buy at the very least $135,000.00 in automobile elements or companies for his sizzling rod assortment, which included a purple and black 1936 Ford tow door, an electrical inexperienced 1932 Ford Coupe, a cherry purple 1951 Ford F-1 truck, and extra. Scarbrough obtained greater than $27,000 price of firearms from Bishop, together with uncommon Colt handguns and Wurfflein dueling pistols.
Lastly, Scarbrough directed at the very least $32,000 in donations to the Hooks Volunteer Hearth Division whereas he was the Captain of Operations. In complete, Scarbrough obtained greater than $300,000 in bribe funds from Harrison and Bishop.
Scarbrough is just not the one official at RRAD who accepted bribes. Devin McEwin accepted greater than $21,000 in bribes from Harrison, together with searching journeys, donations directed to the Annona Volunteer Hearth Division, and the refurbishment of his 1964 Ford truck. Moreover, Louis Singleton accepted greater than $18,000 in bribes from Harrison and others, together with tickets to the Corridor of Fame part of AT&T Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys soccer sport in opposition to the New England Patriots. Singleton was the supervisor of the GPC program on the RRAD and was liable for approving purchases requested by Scarbrough.
Jimmy Scarbrough, 69, of Hooks, pleaded responsible on August 22, 2022, to conspiring with Harrison, Bishop, and others to defraud the US, commit theft of presidency property, and commit bribery. At the moment, Scarbrough agreed to forfeit his 1951 Ford F-1 pickup truck and an amount of cash to be decided by the courtroom. Scarbrough faces as much as 5 years in federal jail and is awaiting sentencing.
This was investigated by the U.S. Military Legal Investigation Command, Main Procurement Fraud Unit; the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Dallas Division, Tyler Resident Company, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Lawyer Jonathan R. Hornok.
