Rainier Ramos, Bribery, Maryland 2023

Rainier Ramos, a 50-year-old civilian information technology professional at Aberdeen Proving Ground, has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for favorable actions on contracts worth millions of dollars. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and other federal officials.

Ramos, of Bel Air, Maryland, solicited and accepted bribes from the owner and CEO of an information technology company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The bribes included meals, drinks, rounds of golf, tickets to sporting events, and gift cards. In exchange, Ramos took official actions favorable to the company and its owner in relation to the MEDCOM contract, which was worth more than $50 million.

The MEDCOM contract was a significant contract that Ramos helped the company secure. He influenced the award of a contract to the company to deploy and configure 70 desktop and laptop computers at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He also recommended that the MEDCOM contract be reserved for companies that were part of the U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) program, a significant benefit to the company as a certified 8(a) business.

Ramos provided the owner of the company with the winning proposal of the previous contractor on the MEDCOM contract, including pricing data, which was sensitive, proprietary information. He also helped write the Statement of Work for the MEDCOM contract to increase the likelihood that the company would be awarded that contract.

Ramos faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for bribery. As part of his plea agreement, he is required to pay a money judgment of at least $33,000 and pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled Ramos’ sentencing for July 12, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.

The National Procurement Fraud Task Force was formed in October 2006 to promote the early detection, identification, prevention and prosecution of procurement fraud.

Ramos’ actions are a clear example of the devastating effects of public corruption. It is essential that we hold individuals accountable for their actions and take steps to prevent such corruption in the future.

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