Newark, N.J. – Former Executive Director of Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. Linda Watkins Brashear has admitted to her role in a nearly $1 million kickback and fraud scheme.
According to a plea agreement, Brashear, 56, of West Orange, New Jersey, accepted approximately $999,000 in kickback payments from contractors and an employee of the corporation in exchange for her assistance in awarding work to various vendors and contractors of the agency.
The scheme, which lasted from January 2008 to March 2013, involved Brashear accepting kickbacks from contractors and an employee of the corporation, which were financed through payments from the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. based on fraudulently inflated invoices or issued for work that was not performed by the contractors.
Brashear pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge José Linares in Newark federal court to Counts 1 and 5 of a five-count information charging her with a wire fraud scheme to defraud the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. by accepting bribes and kickback payments from contractors and an employee of the corporation.
As part of the plea agreement, Brashear admitted to accepting kickbacks from various contractors, including James Porter, a contractor who pleaded guilty in January 2015 to conspiracy to defraud the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. of honest services, money and property through the use of interstate wire transmissions, as well as tax evasion for his role in the kickback scheme.
Brashear also admitted to accepting kickbacks from Giacomo “Jack” DeRosa, a roofing contractor who was charged in a six-count fraud and false statements case, and Donald Bernard Sr., an employee of the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. who was previously charged in a 20-count indictment with various federal offenses involving a scheme to defraud the corporation of his honest services and the corporation’s money and property.
According to the plea agreement, Brashear accepted payments from some of the contractors through Donald Bernard Sr. and used their email accounts to facilitate the kickback and fraud scheme.
Linda Watkins Brashear, 56, of West Orange, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 5 of a five-count information charging her with a wire fraud scheme to defraud the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. by accepting bribes and kickback payments from contractors and an employee of the corporation.
Defendant: Linda Watkins Brashear
Criminal Charges: Wire fraud scheme to defraud the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. by accepting bribes and kickback payments from contractors and an employee of the corporation
City and State: Newark, New Jersey
Exact Date: Undated (plea agreement date not specified)
Sentence or Outcome: Plea agreement, awaiting sentencing
Dollar Amounts: Approximately $999,000 in kickback payments
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- Leaford Cameron, Nationwide Law Fraud Scheme, Pennsylvania, 2023 · Kentucky
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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