Edward William Knotts III, Bribery, Nevada 2013
Former U.S. Army Reserve Captain Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme in Nevada
A shocking case of corruption has come to light in Nevada as a former U.S. Army Reserve captain has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from contractors while deployed to Iraq. Edward William Knotts III, 51, of Gibbon, Nebraska, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James Mahan in the District of Nevada to one count of bribery.
According to court documents, Knotts was stationed at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, as a contracting officer's representative for contracts between the U.S. Army and local contractors to provide services to support operations at Camp Buehring and another U.S. camp in Kuwait. In November 2006, Knotts entered into an agreement with a Kuwait-based corporation to receive a monthly fee in return for providing confidential bidding information about U.S. Army contracts.
Between November 2006 and November 2007, the corporation paid Knotts approximately $31,500 in cash. In June 2007, a representative of the corporation paid Knotts $40,000 at a hotel room in Las Vegas in return for his promise to provide confidential bid information and in anticipation of the corporation hiring him. Knotts received another similar cash payment of $20,000 in August 2008 in a different Las Vegas hotel.
This case was investigated by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. The case is being prosecuted by Director of Procurement Fraud Litigation Catherine Votaw and Trial Attorney Brian Young of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section.
Knotts faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on October 8, 2013. The exact date of the crime is from December 2005 until December 2007. The bribery scheme involved more than $90,000 in bribes from contractors.
Defendant: Edward William Knotts III
Criminal Charge: Bribery
City and State: Las Vegas, Nevada
Crime Date: December 2005 - December 2007
Sentence: Up to 15 years in prison
Dollar Amount: $90,000+
Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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