FILE – The U.S. Department of Justice seal is displayed on a podium during a news conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York, U.S., on July 2, 2020.
The former executive vice president for a Virginia-based defense contractor pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with offering numerous gifts to a San Diego-based Navy civilian employee in exchange for his help in securing millions of dollars in government contracts.
Russell Thurston, 52, was indicted along with his employer Cambridge International Systems, Inc., for bribing James Soriano, who worked at the Naval Information Warfare Center as a contracting officer representative.
Prosecutors said that while acting through Thurston and another company employee whose name has not been disclosed, Cambridge gave Soriano meals, jobs for family members and friends, and a ticket to the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The U.S. Attorney's Office argued that with Soriano's help, Cambridge was awarded two task orders, one of which included more than 70 projects.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The government obligated around $132 million for those task orders, but only about $1.6 million was paid out before the bribery scheme was discovered, prosecutors said.
Cambridge previously pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $2.25 million. The money it received was forfeited as a result of the plea deal and the company was placed on a two-year probationary period, prosecutors said.
Soriano pleaded guilty to federal charges and is set to be sentenced later this year.
Local
Soriano also admitted in his plea agreements to accepting bribes from another Virginia-based defense contractor, Intellipeak Solutions.
Intellipeak and its owner, Philip Flores, await trial later this year on allegations of bribing Soriano with gifts such as tickets to the 2018 World Series and 2019 Super Bowl, as well as free meals at lavish San Diego restaurants. Intellipeak and Flores are also accused of bribing another Navy civilian employee, Dawnell Parker, who has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes.
