James C. Bedford Pleads Guilty to Bribing BIS Official

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — James C. Bedford, 50, of Dumfries, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery of a public official, capping a years-long scheme to hijack federal technology contracts through illicit payoffs.

According to court filings, from May 2010 through October 2011, Bedford orchestrated a bribery ring with Raushi J. Conrad, a then-Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) employee overseeing a critical data migration project. The project was launched after a crippling computer virus in 2006 forced BIS to rebuild its entire network from scratch, creating a high-stakes demand for secure data transfer services.

Bedford funneled $208,000 through his construction company to a restaurant owned by Conrad, using fake invoices to disguise bribes as legitimate business payments. Conrad created phony documentation claiming his restaurant provided services to Bedford’s company—services that never occurred. In addition, Bedford paid over $7,000 for unauthorized renovations at Conrad’s home, further sealing the corrupt alliance.

In return, Conrad used his position within the Office of the Chief Information Officer at BIS to steer a lucrative data migration subcontract—and later a full contract—directly to Bedford’s companies. The contracts generated over $1 million in illicit profits, turning a government recovery effort into a criminal enterprise.

Conrad has been indicted on related charges and awaits trial. Bedford now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 31, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, who accepted the guilty plea.

The case was jointly announced by Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, FBI Washington Field Office; Duane E. Townsend, U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General; and Robert Craig, Defense Criminal Investigative Service Mid-Atlantic. Prosecutors Matthew Burke and Jamar K. Walker are handling the case. Court records are available under Case Nos. 1:16-cr-264 and 1:16-cr-169 via PACER and the Eastern District of Virginia’s public docket.