George Grassie, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Commit Bribery, New Jersey 2017

Grimy Times has learned that George Grassie, a 54-year-old man from Covington Township, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to paying bribes and kickbacks to get contracts at two military bases in New Jersey.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Grassie owned a business that did construction, excavation, and landscaping and worked as a subcontractor at Picattiny Arsenal (PICA) and Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst (Ft. Dix). He admitted to paying bribes valued at $95,000 to $150,000 to an individual employed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in New Jersey to obtain and retain subcontracts and other favorable assistance at PICA and Fort Dix.

Grassie also admitted to paying kickbacks valued at $40,000 to $95,000 to Shawn Fuller and James Conway, who were then project managers for a prime contractor at PICA and Fort Dix. Conway previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and accepting unlawful kickbacks in August 2016, while Fuller previously pleaded guilty to accepting unlawful kickbacks in November 2015.

The conspiracy charge to which Grassie pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison, while the charge for making unlawful kickbacks carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Both charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss associated with the offense, whichever is greatest.

Grassie is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, 2017. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Army, Major Procurement Fraud Unit, Criminal Investigation Command.

The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Leslie Faye Schwartz and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Llanes. Defense counsel is Lawrence S. Lustberg Esq.

Mandatory facts: Defendant/respondent name – George Grassie, Criminal charges – Conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit bribery, City and state – Newark, New Jersey, Exact date – December 2010 to December 2013, Sentence or outcome – Scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, 2017, Dollar amounts – $95,000 to $150,000 (bribes), $40,000 to $95,000 (kickbacks).

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