Former Major John Cockerham
By Robert Brodsky – September 3, 2010
(govexec.com) A senior employee of a Defense Department contractor pleaded guilty this week to playing a role in a bribery and bid-rigging conspiracy at a U.S. Army base in Kuwait — an investigation that has led to the arrest of 15 public and private sector officials.
Dorothy Ellis, 53, of Texas City, Texas, admitted in U.S. District Court that she helped bribe a pair of Army procurement officials to win lucrative contracts for her boss’ companies. In exchange, Ellis received a $100,000 bonus, Justice Department officials said.
Ellis pleaded guilty to one count of bribery conspiracy and agreed to forfeit $360,000 –the total amount of the payoffs — to the government. She also faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced on Dec. 1.
According to court documents, Ellis worked for ex-Defense contractor Terry Hall at two of his companies, Freedom Consulting and Catering Co. and Total Government Allegiance. As the businesses’ most senior employee, Ellis served as the liaison between Hall and Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
Between 2004 and 2007, Hall’s companies held a blanket purchase agreement — essentially a charge card set up with certain vendors with which agencies purchase supplies on as-needed basis — with the Army to deliver bottled water to Camp Arifjan.
Prosecutors said Hall won purchases off the BPA by paying bribes to two Army contracting officers. Maj. James Momon was paid approximately $330,000 while Maj. Christopher Murray received roughly $30,000, according to court documents.
In exchange for the payments, Momon allegedly arranged for the Army to pay Hall’s companies more than $6.4 million through the bottled water BPA. Murray, meanwhile, helped Total Government Allegiance win a contract to build a security fence at the Army base, court documents indicated.
Ellis admitted to providing Momon and Murray with information, including personal identification numbers and online passwords that allowed them to access secret bank accounts established on their behalf in the Philippines, prosecutors said. The accounts served as a conduit for Hall and others to transfer bribe payments to the contracting officers.
Prosecutors said Ellis also obtained confidential Army contract pricing information from Momon designed to give Hall an unfair advantage in the bidding process for an ice contract from the Army.
The Kuwait contracting office has been a focal point of investigations of procurement violations in recent years. To date, 15 individuals have been charged and 13, including Hall, Momon and Murray, have pleaded guilty. Hall and Momon are awaiting sentencing while Murray was sentenced in December 2009 to five years and nine months in prison.
The alleged ringleader of the operation, former Army Maj. John Cockerham, was sentenced last December to more than 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $9.6 million in restitution.
Hall’s co-defendants, former Army Maj. Eddie Pressley and his wife, Eurica, are scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 24, 2011, in Decatur, Ala. Another former Defense contractor employee, Wajdi Birjas, pleaded guilty last month to bribing Army contracting officials and money laundering, and is scheduled to face sentencing on Jan. 7, 2011. (click HERE for the original aricle)
Other Related Posts From Ms Sparky
- USACE employee Thomas Aram Manok pleads guilty to Iraq bribery charges
- Former DoD Employee Tyrone Ellis pleads guilty to stealing funds meant for soldiers in need
- Ex-employee of N.J. defense contractor pleads not guilty to sharing military secrets
- Dorothy Ellis sentenced for corruption in Kuwait
- More arrests in the minority defense contractor bribery scheme
Camp Arifjan Corruption again.
Who was the ASG-KU Base Commander and One-Star on duty during U.S. Army Major’s Momom’s and Murray’s crime spree.
2004 – 2007
Date07.28.2008
Date Posted:08.04.2008 08:12
Camp Arifjan, KWGlobe
Story by Pfc. Alicia TorbushSmall RSS IconAlerts Icon
By Pfc. Alicia Torbush
20th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – The U.S. Army Area Support Group – Kuwait welcomed a new commander, July 28, during a change of command ceremony at the Zone 1 Gym on Camp Arifjan.
Col. Christopher K. Hoffman assumed command from Col. John S. Alexander, who is retiring after 24 years of service.
ASG-KU is responsible for supporting U.S. Army Central as the implementing authority to the Defense Cooperation Agreement with its host nation in providing safe and secure
base camps for tenants and rotational units and in supporting coalition and joint reception, staging, onward movement and integration.
Hoffman and Alexander were both acknowledged by Brig. Gen. Harold G. Bunch, deputy commander, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, for their hard work, dedication to service and professionalism.
“Today is indeed a special day,” said Bunch. “Especially because we are celebrating a change of command between professional Soldiers in a country we are proud to be serving.” Hoffman commanded 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, in Baghdad. He served twice at Hohenfels, Germany, as a battalion senior task force observer and controller, and then as the deputy commander of the Joint Multi-National
Readiness Center.
Hoffman was commissioned through the ROTC program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His military education includes Armor Officer basic and advanced
course, Airborne, Air Assault and Ranger schools. He also attended Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
His awards and decorations include a Bronze Star with oak-leafcluster, a Meritorious Service Medal with five oak-leaf clusters and an Army Achievement Medal with three oak-leaf clusters.
Although Hoffman holds a range of military education and experience, he is taking on the command with enthusiasm about learning his new role and responsibilities.
“I don’t know, what I don’t know,” said Hoffman. “I come to [the unit] with an open mind to listen, to learn and to work together as a member of the team.”
As ASG-KU welcomed their new commander, they bid farewell to Alexander who relinquished command and is retiring. During his more than two decades of service, Alexander has attended several challenging military courses including the Special
Forces Officer Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Some of Alexander’s assignments include the operations directorate at the Pentagon, chief of current operations for the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., the director of the U.S. Army special operations agency and the chief of the special operations division on the U.S. Army staff.
Alexander spoke of the hard work and many positive changes that the ASG-KU has gone through before and during his command; yet, he said he couldn’t be more thrilled
with the fact that Hoffman would take on his previous role.
“I am very proud of everything we’ve done to this point; but, at the same time I am really proud to be able to hand that to somebody like you,” said Alexander.
I am sure Alexander was especially proud of his High Occupancy Vehicle failure and especially proud of his Contractors that he found to be in Major John Cockerham’s owe me Accounting Book that he took no action in making sure those companies were put on the EPLS.
And his star Contracting Officer, U.S. Army Major John Cockerham and all the other Contracting stars now in jail. MAJ Momon, Major Murray, Major Eddie Pressley, William Rondell Collins, 46, of Bartlett, Tenn,Tijani Ahmed Saani, 53, Army, Lt. Col. Levonda J. Selph,Gheevarghese Pappen, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,Peleti “Pete” Peleti Jr., a U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer,Lt. Col. Marshall Gutierrez.
You have to give credit where credit is due. He was proud of his men. And we still have the legacy of Arifjan corruption continuing with DLA’s DRMO’s private solicitations for $ 5.7 million for the ex-Agility affiliate TAOS’ DRMO contract that has draw 4 GAO Protests due to not being conducted by Federal Acquisition Regulation or PARC rules.
The Taos’ DRMS contract wasn’t renewed as on June 30, 2010. The USG brought in their own team and are using a local labor source. As far as I know, Taos is still an Agility affiliate, or have they been sold off without me noticing?
Contracting command – did not report to ASG-Kuwait. They were their own separate command that was not responsible to anyone from ASG. All the individuals – save LTC Gutierrez (who killed himself afer an investigation begun by COL Alexander), worked for the contracting command. It was COL Alexander who began the investigations that led to uncovering the mafias perpetrated by these individuals.
ANNOUNCEMENT – DLA HAS CANCELED THE CAMP ARIFJAN AWARD OF DRMO CONTRACT TO (Al Ragheeb United) General Contracting & Construction WLL aka ARU LOGISTICS
http://www.scribd.com/full/37617643?access_key=key-1zg584788c0wic6yqc68
“based on information discovered in the evaluation of one of the other protests filed against this award, the Agency is canceling the solicitation and terminating the award for the convenience of the Government. The Agency will issue a new solicitation to address the ongoing requirements.
There were 4 GAO Protesters of this award.
GAO case B-402707
MAJ.EDDIE IS MY BROTHER BUT WHAT HE AND HIS MONEY HUNGRY WIFE DID WAS WRONG AND THEY NEED TO PAY FOR WHAT THEY DID.THEY WHERE LIVING COMFORTABLY BUT AS THEY SAY MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.I HOPE THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM LOCK THEM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!!BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THEY DESERVE.JUST TOO DAMN GREEDY AND TRYING TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE WANTING TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION.SO KNOW THEY ARE.