Sergeant Major Gary M. Canteen, Bribery and Conspiracy, Hawaii 2011

A shocking case of bribery and conspiracy has rocked the US military in Hawaii. Former US Army Sergeant Major Gary M. Canteen, 42, of Delaware, and Sergeant Charles O. Finch, 45, of Mililani, Hawaii, have pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges related to their roles in accepting $50,000 for the award of a Department of Defense contract in Afghanistan.

According to court documents, Finch and Canteen were deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, in 2004 and 2005. Finch was assigned as the Noncommissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) of Operations Support. As NCOIC, Finch was responsible for line haul, or trucking, services into and out of Bagram involving the distribution of goods destined for American and coalition soldiers throughout Afghanistan.

In 2004, Finch conspired with Canteen and others to accept a $50,000 bribe in return for exercising his influence to recommend and facilitate the award of the contract to AZ Corporation, a military contractor in Afghanistan. The bribe was paid on September 27, 2004, via wire transfer into a bank account in the name of Da Spot Inc., a clothing and souvenir shop in Pearl City, Hawaii, owned by Canteen.

Canteen admitted that he provided his bank account information to receive the $50,000 payment from AZ Corporation. He withdrew $25,000 of the funds for his personal use, and gave $24,000 to Finch in February 2005, after they returned home to Hawaii from Afghanistan.

Finch and Canteen each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and to defraud the United States, and Finch also pleaded guilty one count of bribery. Sentencing for Finch and Canteen is scheduled for January 19, 2012.

Finch faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or three times the value of the bribe on the bribery count, and up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on the conspiracy count. Canteen faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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