NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A brazen scheme to line his pockets at the expense of the U.S. Marine Corps has landed DARREL FITZPATRICK, 31, of Atlanta, a 60-month federal prison sentence. Judge Carl J. Barbier handed down the sentence on Thursday, September 23, 2021, calling the operation a “massive bribery and fraud scheme.” Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty in January to Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, violating Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 201(b)(1).
The rot started in 2019, when Fitzpatrick, then a senior account manager at Company A – a bus brokerage serving the Marine Corps Reserves – decided to double-dip. He launched his own competing brokerage, National Charter Express, and immediately began plotting to divert lucrative contracts to his new venture. The key? A willing accomplice inside the Corps.
Fitzpatrick conspired with ERIK MARTIN, a civilian employee of the Marine Corps Reserves, to rig the system. Fitzpatrick promised Martin kickbacks in exchange for steering at least $2,000,000 in transportation contracts to both Company A and, later, National Charter Express. The scheme worked. Fitzpatrick wired and attempted to wire Martin over $250,000 in bribes, a blatant attempt to corrupt the procurement process.
The feds finally caught up. The investigation, a joint effort by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and the United States Secret Service, exposed the full extent of the fraud. A restitution hearing is scheduled for December 16, 2021, to determine the full amount Fitzpatrick owes the government. Following his release, he’ll face three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory fee.
“Mr. Fitzpatrick deserves to be held fully accountable for his criminal actions to bribe a Marine Corps employee to direct contracts to his transportation company,” stated NCIS Special Agent in Charge Thomas Cannizzo. “This sentencing should serve as a warning that those who seek to defraud the Department of the Navy will always be exposed and investigated to the fullest extent.”
DCIS Special Agent in Charge Cynthia A. Bruce added, “I am pleased that we were able to secure a significant forfeiture to take back ill-gotten gains from the defendants and send a clear message that ultimately crime does not pay.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andre Lagarde and Myles Ranier. The message is clear: corrupting the system, especially when it involves those who serve, will be met with the full force of federal law.
Related Federal Cases
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- Deborah Fortner Indicted for LRHP Grant Fraud, New Orleans LA, 2007 · Ohio
- Laquentin Brown, Sex Trafficking Conspiracy, New Orleans LA, 2023 · Tennessee
- Santos Gavarrete-Nataren, Gun Smuggling, New Orleans LA, 2023 · Georgia
- Ambrose Williams, Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin, New Orleans LA, … · Washington
Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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