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Consultant Sentenced for Accepting Bribe in Florida Keys Project
A consultant for the Florida Department of Transportation has been sentenced to 12 months plus one day in prison for accepting a bribe in a Florida Keys road construction project.
Ron Capobianco Jr., 40, of Pompano Beach, FL, was sentenced on charges of bribery in connection with programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666, by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr.
According to court documents, Capobianco Jr. worked as a construction engineering and inspection consultant at Metric Engineering, Inc. (Metric), which specialized in the transportation industry. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) contracted with Metric to provide services, including designing, inspecting, and troubleshooting the construction of roads, signs, and traffic signals.
Capobianco Jr. was assigned as the FDOT District 4 Signalization and Lighting Liaison, acting as FDOT’s project manager for various signalization and lighting projects. He had a team of employees that assisted him in supervising and inspecting contractors performing FDOT work.
The bribery occurred around 2009, during a road construction project along Highway 1 in the Florida Keys, known as the Marathon Key project. Capobianco Jr. agreed to accept a bribe from a subcontractor working on this project, specifically $25,000 for the installation of video detection equipment. The subcontractor’s estimate was approved and paid by the State of Florida after the installation of the equipment.
Capobianco Jr. met with an agent of the subcontractor in Plantation, Florida, and was paid $4,000 in cash for his assistance on the project. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, IRS-CI, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey N. Kaplan. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
RELATED: Ronald Calderon Busted: 42 Months for $150K Bribe Scheme
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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