Grimy Times has learned that Linda Watkins Brashear, the former executive director of the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. (NWCDC), has been sentenced to 102 months in prison for her role in a nearly $1 million kickback and fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Brashear, 57, of West Orange, New Jersey, accepted nearly $1 million in kickback payments from various contractors and an employee of the NWCDC in exchange for her assistance in awarding work to vendors and contractors.
The scheme, which took place between 2008 and 2013, involved Brashear accepting bribes and kickback payments from contractors and an employee, which were funded by payments from the NWCDC based on fraudulently inflated invoices or issued for work that was not performed by the contractors.
Brashear, who served as executive director of the NWCDC from 2007 to 2013, admitted to taking payments from James Porter, a contractor who pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy to defraud the NWCDC 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.
The kickback scheme involved a total of 11 contractors, who paid Brashear nearly $1 million in kickbacks over the course of five years. The payments were made through various means, including checks, cash, and wire transfers.
Brashear’s sentencing comes after she pleaded guilty to counts of wire fraud and subscribing a false tax return in 2016. Judge José Linares imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.
The case is a reminder of the pervasive corruption that can occur in government agencies and the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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