ALBANY, GA – Greed and graft at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany (MCLB-Albany) landed three local residents in federal prison today, after they were sentenced for their roles in a brazen bribery scheme that bilked the U.S. Marines out of nearly a million dollars. The scheme involved rigged contracts for machine products, inflated prices, and a supply technician willing to sell out her oath for cold, hard cash.
Michelle Rodriguez, 32, of Albany, Ga., a former supply technician at the Maintenance Center Albany (MCA), was sentenced to a staggering 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $161,000 in restitution. She was the linchpin of the operation, directly manipulating the bidding process. Thomas J. Cole, 43, and Fredrick W. Simon, 55, both also of Albany, received 46 and 32 months respectively, along with restitution orders of $209,000 and $74,500. Each defendant is also facing a $907,000 forfeiture order and three years of supervised release after their release.
According to court documents, Rodriguez, while employed at the MCA – a critical hub for repairing equipment used in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond – actively solicited bribes in exchange for steering contracts to companies operated by Cole and Simon: Company A and Company B. The scheme was chillingly simple. Rodriguez would transmit bid solicitations, then tip off Simon with the desired bid amount via text message, ensuring it exceeded fair market value. She was paid $75 in cash for each awarded order, a steady stream of illicit income flowing directly into her pocket.
The fraud spanned nearly two years, with Rodriguez awarding Cole and Simon’s companies approximately 1,300 machine product orders – all fueled by bribery. As the volume of orders to Company A increased, raising suspicions, Rodriguez cleverly began routing some business through Company B, owned by Cole, while Company A continued to fulfill the actual services. The total loss to the U.S. Marines: a shocking $907,000. Rodriguez personally pocketed $161,000, while Cole and Simon reaped $209,000 and $74,500 respectively.
Federal investigators with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) began unraveling the scheme, receiving crucial assistance from the Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office Economic Crime Unit and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Cole and Simon ultimately pleaded guilty to bribery charges and cooperated with the investigation, but their cooperation wasn’t enough to avoid significant prison time.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Richard B. Evans and J.P. Cooney of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Alan Dasher of the Middle District of Georgia. This case serves as a stark reminder that those who exploit their positions of trust to defraud the government and our military will be held accountable, no matter how carefully they attempt to conceal their crimes. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and expose corruption wherever it exists.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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