Susan May Keim, Russell John Keim Sr., Rodney Gale Wilson, Bribery Scheme, Virginia 2023

A brazen bribery scheme has come to an end in Virginia, with a local couple and a Missouri man pleading guilty to conspiring to bribe a public official.

Susan May Keim, 54, and Russell John Keim Sr., 60, both of Hopewell, Virginia, pleaded guilty on November 28 to their participation in a conspiracy relating to bribes of public officials. Rodney Gale Wilson, 67, of Imperial, Missouri, pleaded guilty today to the same charges.

According to court documents, Susan Keim and her husband Russell Keim accepted bribes from Wilson in return for Susan Keim’s award of purchase orders to Wilson’s company to sell parts and materials to U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee (Fort Lee). Susan Keim worked for Skookum Educational Services (Skookum), a company that contracted with the federal government to provide maintenance and supply services at Fort Lee. Wilson was the owner of C&L Supply, a company formed for the sole purpose of selling supplies to Skookum for use at Fort Lee. From 2013 to 2018, in return for the award of the subcontracts worth over $900,000, Wilson provided checks and cash payments to Susan and Russell Keim disguised as compensation to Russell Keim for work performed for C&L Supply and payments for work done on a property owned by the Keims.

The Keims and Wilson each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to offer bribes to a public official and to accept bribes as a public official. The Keims are scheduled to be sentenced on April 13, 2023, and Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2023. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Richmond Field Office, Army CID’s MPFFO, and DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office. Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch Slater of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney Rebecca M. Schuman of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section also prosecuted the case.

The brazen bribery scheme has been brought to an end, and those involved will face the consequences of their actions. We will continue to monitor this case and provide updates as necessary.

The defendants and their crimes are as follows:

Susan May Keim, 54, of Hopewell, Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to offer bribes to a public official and to accept bribes as a public official.
Russell John Keim Sr., 60, of Hopewell, Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to offer bribes to a public official and to accept bribes as a public official.
Rodney Gale Wilson, 67, of Imperial, Missouri, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to offer bribes to a public official and to accept bribes as a public official.

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