A former US Army staff sergeant has pleaded guilty to bribery in connection with a fuel theft scheme that netted him over $400,000 in bribes.
Stevan Nathan Ringo, 26, of Marrero, La., pleaded guilty to one count of bribery before Judge T.S. Ellis, III in US District Court in Virginia. His sentencing is set for January 7, 2011.
Ringo was stationed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank, a US Army installation in the Logar Province of Eastern Afghanistan. His responsibilities at FOB Shank included supervision of the fuel redistribution process.
According to court documents, Ringo admitted to accepting over $400,000 in cash payments from a government contractor in exchange for creating and submitting fraudulent paperwork permitting that contractor to steal fuel from FOB Shank. The total value of the fuel stolen in the course of the scheme was nearly $1.5 million.
The scheme involved Ringo accepting bribes from a government contractor in exchange for creating and submitting fake paperwork that allowed the contractor to steal fuel from FOB Shank. Ringo’s actions compromised the security of the base and put the lives of his fellow soldiers at risk.
Ringo faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000; three times the value of the payments made or solicited; or twice the value gained or lost from the scheme.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ryan S. Faulconer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant US Attorney Edmund P. Power for the Eastern District of Virginia. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the US Army Criminal Investigative Division, and other military law enforcement at FOB Shank, as well as members of the National Procurement Fraud Task Force and the International Contract Corruption Task Force.
The National Procurement Fraud Task Force and the International Contract Corruption Task Force are working together to detect, investigate, and prosecute corruption and contract fraud resulting from US Overseas Contingency Operations worldwide.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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