Washington, D.C. – Paul Solofa, the former chief financial officer for the American Samoa government’s Department of Education, has been sentenced to 35 months in prison for his role in obstructing a federal grand jury and law enforcement investigation into a bribery scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, in early 2008 federal authorities began investigating allegations of cash bribes and kickbacks paid by vendors to officials of the American Samoa Government in connection with the government’s purchase of school bus parts and services.
Solofa met with a school bus parts vendor on April 3, 2009, and allegedly told the vendor that ‘they cannot do anything with cash’ and ‘just tell them no, yes, no, yes, period.’
On April 14, 2009, Solofa met with the same vendor and allegedly told him to ‘burn’ documents related to the bribery scheme, stating ‘that way, they won’t see it, and you won’t worry that they might see it.’
Solofa’s actions were part of a broader bribery scheme involving the American Samoa government’s purchase of school bus parts and services.
Solofa, 50, was convicted of one count of witness tampering and one count of obstruction of justice after a four-day trial in January 2012. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton in the District of Columbia.
This case was prosecuted by Principal Deputy Chief Raymond N. Hulser and Trial Attorney Tim Kelly of the Public Integrity Section in the Criminal Division. The case was investigated by the FBI; the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education; and the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The head of the School Bus Division for the American Samoa Department of Education, Gustav Nauer, 47, was also convicted for his role in the bribery scheme and was sentenced to 25 months in prison on June 4, 2012.
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