Former US Army Corps Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery in Virginia

WASHINGTON – A shocking case of public corruption has come to light in the nation’s capital, as a former employee of the US Army Corps of Engineers stationed in Baghdad, Iraq, pleaded guilty to conspiring to receive bribes from Iraqi contractors involved in the US-funded reconstruction efforts.

Thomas Aram Manok, 50, of Chantilly, Va., pleaded guilty before US District Judge Anthony J. Trenga in the Eastern District of Virginia. Sentencing has been scheduled for December 9, 2011. Manok faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

According to court documents, Manok admitted to using his official position to conspire with Iraqi contractors to accept cash bribes in exchange for recommending that the Army Corps of Engineers approve contracts and other requests for payment submitted by the contractors to the US government.

Manok was accused of accepting a $10,000 payment from one contractor who had been involved in constructing a kindergarten and girls’ school in the Abu Ghraib neighborhood of Baghdad and had sought Manok’s influence in having requests for payment approved by the Corps of Engineers. He was also accused of intending to conceal the payments by transferring them, via associates, from Iraq to Armenia.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General, the Army Criminal Investigation Command and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, as participants in the International Contract Corruption Task Force.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Paul J. Nathanson of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Mary Ann McCarthy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

The crime of bribery is a serious offense, and it is a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors that Manok has been brought to justice. The US Army Corps of Engineers and the US government have a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and that contracts are awarded fairly and without corruption.

The guilty plea of Thomas Aram Manok serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and transparency in government and public contracting. The public has a right to expect that those in positions of power will act with integrity and uphold the law.

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