Marine Corps Official Sentenced for $100,000 in Bribes

In a shocking case of corruption, Erik Martin, a 49-year-old civilian employee of the United States Marine Corps Reserves, was sentenced to 45 months in prison for taking $100,000 in bribes in exchange for directing over $2,000,000 worth of transportation contracts to his associate.

Martin, who pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, will also serve two years of supervised release after prison and will owe restitution to the government, which will be determined at a future hearing.

The scheme, which resulted in at least $2,000,000 in transportation contracts being corruptly awarded to companies associated with Darrel Fitzpatrick, a senior account manager at Company A, and later, National Charter Express, was uncovered in 2019. Fitzpatrick agreed to pay kickbacks to Martin in exchange for directing business to his companies.

According to the Factual Basis, Fitzpatrick wired and attempted to wire Martin over $250,000 in bribes in a series of at least four transactions. The conspiracy resulted in the Marine Corps wasting American taxpayer money and squandering valuable investigative resources.

The sentencing comes as a warning to perpetrators who seek to defraud the Department of the Navy. NCIS Southeast Field Office Special Agent in Charge Thomas Cannizzo praised the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for partnering on this important investigation.

U. S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and the United States Secret Service for their investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Myles Ranier and Andre Lagarde are handling the prosecution.

The case is a reminder that crime does not pay. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service remain committed to rooting out bribery and corruption that threatens warfighter readiness.

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