Navy Vet Cory Taylor Wright Accused of $9M Navy Fraud Scheme

LOS ANGELES – The Justice Department has laid charges against Cory Taylor Wright, a 49-year-old Navy veteran from Columbus, Georgia, who is accused of fraudulently bilking the U.S. Navy out of more than $9 million through bid-rigging and contract steering involving kickbacks to a co-conspirator.

Wright faces a single-count information charge of wire fraud for his alleged role in the scheme, which spanned from December 2016 until August 2022. The defendant has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.

According to court documents, Wright served in the Navy from February 1997 until his retirement in May 2017. During his tenure, he worked for the Mobile Utilities Support Equipment division (Muse) at the Port Hueneme naval base. Muse is responsible for providing logistical support for power systems worldwide.

Wright and a fellow Navy enlistee known as “Co-Conspirator 1” founded C&C Power Solutions LLC with the intent of securing Navy contracts. Co-Conspirator 1, who retired in 2021, was promised a 50% stake in the business upon his retirement. Wright paid him thousands in kickbacks and other benefits for directing Navy contracts to CCP.

The duo then engaged in bid-rigging, ensuring CCP received subcontracts from prime contractors through manipulated bids. Wright also generated false invoices purporting that CCP had fulfilled its obligations, leading to Navy payments on those invoices. They aimed to secure a lucrative contract as Muse’s next prime contractor, which would have been worth tens of millions.

Wright and Co-Conspirator 1 created fraudulent documents and concealed the latter’s financial interest in CCP to obtain the prime contract. Their scheme continued until it was terminated by the Navy in late 2022 and early 2023.