Bruce Thomas, Paying Gratuities, Maryland 2021

A Germantown businessman has pleaded guilty to paying gratuities to a public official in exchange for official acts.

Bruce Thomas, 53, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty on May 14, 2021, to paying gratuities to a public official. He is the owner and operator of Pinnacle Orthopedic Services, Inc., also located in Germantown.

According to his plea agreement, from at least 2012 to 2019, Pinnacle provided prosthetics and orthotics materials to the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Walter Reed), the largest joint military medical center in the United States, in return for payments from the government.

Walter Reed provides health services to military families and individuals serving on active duty, individuals returning from war, veterans, and elected officials. The Walter Reed Prosthetics and Orthotics Department provided a full range of prosthetic and orthotic services, including state of the art prosthetic limbs, and nationwide support of wounded warriors.

From about 2011 to 2017, Thomas and Pinnacle received more than $20 million in payments from the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed for prosthetics and orthotics materials.

From about 2009 until May 2019, David Laufer was a public official and civilian employee of the Department of Defense, working as the Chief of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed. As such, Laufer represented Walter Reed in ordering and purchasing prosthetics and orthotics materials, including purchases made from Thomas and Pinnacle.

Thomas admitted that from about 2012 to 2017, he gave and promised things of value to Laufer for, and because of, official acts performed by Laufer. Specifically, Thomas provided Laufer with cash, airlines flights, meals, entertainment, and other benefits because of Laufer’s official acts as the Chief of the Walter Reed Prosthetics and Orthotics Department, and Laufer’s official acts in connection with the purchase of prosthetics and orthotics materials from Pinnacle.

Related Federal Cases