Jimmy Scarbrough, Bribery and Conspiracy, Texas 2024

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Four Indicted in Major Bribery Scheme at Red River Army Depot

Jimmy Scarbrough, 69, of Hooks, a former RRAD supervisor, is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and 36 counts of bribery. Scarbrough made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven on May 27, 2024.

Jeffrey Harrison, 43, of Texarkana, and Justin Bishop, 50, of Clarksville, both RRAD vendors, have pleaded guilty to bribery charges. Devin McEwin, 41, of Avery, an RRAD official, has also been charged with bribery and is scheduled to plead guilty.

Scarbrough allegedly directed more than $7 million in purchases from RRAD to Harrison and Bishop through the government purchase card (GPC) program. In order to manipulate the GPC program, Scarbrough told the vendors what to bid, including the item, the quantity, and the price. By collecting fake bids from multiple vendors, Scarbrough was able to direct RRAD purchases to his select vendors, in this case Harrison and Bishop, while maintaining the appearance of a competitive bidding process.

Scarbrough demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from his selected vendors. He accepted bribes in various forms, including receiving at least $116,000.00 in U.S. Postal Service money orders from Harrison. Scarbrough also had Harrison and Bishop purchase at least $135,000.00 in car parts or services for his hot rod collection, which included a red and black 1936 Ford Tudor, an electric green 1932 Ford Coupe, a cherry red 1951 Ford F-1 truck, and more. Scarbrough received more than $27,000.00 worth of firearms from Bishop, including rare Colt handguns and Wurfflein dueling pistols. Finally, Scarbrough directed at least $32,000.00 in donations to the Hooks Volunteer Fire Department while he was the Captain of Operations. In total, Scarbrough received more than $300,000.00 in bribe payments from Harrison and Bishop.

Scarbrough is not the only official at RRAD who accepted bribes. Devin McEwin accepted more than $21,000.00 in bribes from Harrison, including hunting trips, donations directed to the Hooks Volunteer Fire Department, and other forms of payment.

“The Red River Army Depot is a key component of our nation’s defense infrastructure and is the lifeblood of the surrounding community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Scarbrough, Harrison, Bishop, McEwin, and others exploited the public trust in order to line their own pockets, and undermined the warfighting mission of the Depot in the process.”

“Today’s announcement highlights a successful collaboration among partner agencies as we collectively hold these defendants accountable for allegedly creating a fraudulent and deceptive scheme against the government and the people of the United States. We remain committed to the aggressive pursuit of those who selfishly leverage government programs for their own personal gain,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge, Matthew J. DeSarno.