A former soldier in the U.S. Army National Guard has pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges. Christopher Renfro, 26, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Renfro also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery in connection with the same scheme in 2014.
According to court documents, Renfro paid former Sergeant First Class Michael Rambaran for the personal identifying information of potential Army National Guard soldiers. Renfro used this information to obtain fraudulent bonuses by falsely claiming that he was responsible for referring these soldiers to join the Army National Guard.
The scheme involved military recruiters and U.S. soldiers in the San Antonio and Houston areas, who engaged in a wide-ranging corruption scheme to obtain recruiting bonuses. The investigation has led to charges against 25 individuals, with 23 of them having pleaded guilty.
The National Guard Bureau entered into a contract with Document and Packaging Broker Inc. (Docupak) to administer the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP) in approximately September 2005. The G-RAP offered monetary incentives to soldiers of the Army National Guard who referred others to join the Army National Guard.
Through this program, a participating soldier could receive up to $2,000 in bonus payments for referring another individual to join the Army National Guard. The payments were made through direct deposit into the participating soldier’s designated bank account.
Renfro is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the Southern District of Texas. Former Sergeant First Class Michael Rambaran, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery, and aggravated identity theft, is also scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2015.
This case is being investigated by the San Antonio Fraud Resident Agency of Army CID’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sean F. Mulryne, Heidi Boutros Gesch, and Mark J. Cipolletti of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson of the Southern District of Texas.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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