Christopher Whitman, Bribery and Theft Convictions, Albany GA, 2023

ALBANY, GA – A scheme to bleed millions from the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Albany has landed three men in federal court, convicted on charges ranging from bribery to theft. Christopher Whitman, 48, of Albany, co-owner of United Logistics, Shawn McCarty, 36, of Albany, a former MCLB employee, and Bradford Newell, 43, of Sylvester, Georgia, also a former MCLB employee, all faced a jury and lost, proving once again that greed always catches up.

Whitman, the ringleader, now faces the music for 43 counts of honest services wire fraud, five counts of bribery, five counts of obstructing justice, and one count of theft of government property. McCarty was convicted of 15 counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of obstructing justice. Newell’s rap sheet includes 13 counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of theft of government property. The evidence painted a clear picture: a systematic dismantling of ethical conduct for personal gain.

Prosecutors laid out how Whitman showered over $800,000 in bribes upon three former Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) officials at MCLB-Albany – including the head of the DLA Traffic Office and McCarty – to secure lucrative trucking contracts. These weren’t just standard deals; they were deliberately inflated with unnecessary “premium” services like expedited shipping, expensive trailers, and exclusive use requirements. This meant trucks often left half-empty, but United Logistics raked in over $37 million in less than four years. It was a textbook example of how corruption can warp legitimate business into a criminal enterprise.

But the trucking scheme was just one side of Whitman’s operation. He also allegedly funneled approximately $200,000 in bribes to Newell, the former inventory control manager at MCLB-Albany, and others. In exchange, Newell and his cohorts pilfered over $1 million in surplus military equipment – bulldozers, cranes, front-end loaders – right off the base. Whitman then had the stolen goods refurbished, repainted, and sold to unsuspecting private buyers. It was a brazen operation, turning government assets into personal profit.

This wasn’t a solo act. One former United Logistics employee, two ex-DLA officials, and another MCLB official had already pleaded guilty to their involvement in the scheme, cooperating with investigators to unravel the entire web of corruption. The investigation was a multi-agency effort, spearheaded by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with crucial assistance from the Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office Economic Crime Unit, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the DLA Office of the Inspector General, and the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General.

The prosecution team, led by Deputy Chief J.P. Cooney, Trial Attorney Richard B. Evans, and Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Alan Dasher, presented a compelling case that ultimately brought these men to justice. The government is now moving forward with forfeiture litigation, handled by Assistant Deputy Chief Darrin McCullough, to recoup the ill-gotten gains. This case serves as a stark reminder that those who exploit public trust for personal enrichment will be held accountable, no matter how deeply buried their schemes may be.