NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – In a shocking turn of events, a former United States Coast Guard employee has been charged with bribery in a superseding bill of information, according to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. Eldridge Johnson, a former Coast Guard employee, was charged on March 30, 2022, with bribery in addition to the previously filed indictment of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The superseding bill of information alleges that Johnson engaged in a scheme to receive bribes from merchant mariners who had applied for Coast Guard-issued licenses. Johnson, who was an examination administrator at a Coast Guard exam center in Mandeville, Louisiana, offered and sold various forms of improper assistance, including reporting false information to the Coast Guard and selling examination questions and answers to mariners before they took the tests.
According to the superseding bill of information, Johnson removed confidential examination and answer documents from the exam center without authorization. He also recruited participants by approaching mariners at the exam center, calling them using contact information found in Coast Guard records, and encouraging past participants to refer other mariners to Johnson.
The conspiracy charge, which was included in the previously filed indictment, alleges that Johnson, following his retirement, acted as an intermediary for Coast Guard exam center employee Dorothy Smith in a scheme in which Smith entered false exam scores in exchange for money. Smith pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2022.
The exams at issue were ones that merchant mariners were legally required to pass in order to obtain licenses to serve in various positions on vessels. The examinations tested mariners’ knowledge and training to safely operate under the authority of licenses.
Johnson faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen years for bribery and five years for conspiracy. Each offense is also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the superseding bill of information is merely a charge and that the defendant’s guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon is in charge of the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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