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Con Edison Manager’s $807,000 Bribery Scheme Exposed
A former Consolidated Edison of New York (Con Edison) manager has pleaded guilty to accepting and agreeing to accept approximately $807,000 in bribes from two Con Edison industrial pipe supply vendors, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.
James M. Woodason of Edison, N.J., pleaded guilty to participating in two separate conspiracies to defraud Con Edison. Woodason, a former department manager of purchasing at Con Edison, accepted bribe payments from two industrial pipe supply vendors in exchange for steering contracts to each of those vendors.
According to court documents, Woodason accepted approximately $297,000 from one vendor in a bribery scheme that took place from approximately November 2003 through approximately August 2008. He also accepted approximately $45,000 in bribe payments from another vendor in a bribery scheme that took place from approximately January 2009 until approximately August 2010. Woodason had also agreed to take an additional $465,000 in bribes from that vendor.
Woodason was arrested on Aug. 5, 2010, by special agents of the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation. He pleaded guilty to one count of bribery for receiving a $20,000 cash bribe payment related to the 2009-2010 conspiracy and to one count of income tax evasion for failing to report bribes he received as income in the tax years 2004 through 2008.
As part of his plea agreement, Woodason agreed not to contest forfeiture of the $20,000 bribe payment found at his residence on the date of his arrest. He also agreed to put $322,000 in escrow to pay restitution to Con Edison. Con Edison is a regulated utility headquartered in Manhattan that provides electric service to approximately 3.2 million customers and gas service to approximately 1.1 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, N.Y.
The charges against Woodason carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the two conspiracy counts, as well as a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the bribery count. The investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation. Con Edison cooperated with the investigation.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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