FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Paying Bribes to Employees at Military Base for Freight Business
A former driver for a national trucking company pleaded guilty today to bribery charges, admitting that he bribed employees in the Traffic Office at the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany (MCLB-Albany) in order to obtain lucrative freight hauling business, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore of the Middle District of Georgia.
David R. Nelson, 54, of Lucedale, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands in the Middle District of Georgia to one count of bribery of a public official.
During his guilty plea, Nelson, a former driver for a large transportation company based in Louisville, Kentucky, admitted to paying more than $100,000 in bribes between 2006 and 2012 to officials in the Traffic Office at MCLB-Albany in exchange for obtaining freight shipments from the base to destinations on the West Coast. The bribes started at $500 for each shipment, but later grew to as much as $1,500 per shipment. From the money he made from these freight shipments, Nelson purchased a $50,000 specially-modified trailer that allowed him to carry multiple Protected Security Service loads on a single trip.
As part of his plea agreement with the United States, Nelson agreed to forfeit the proceeds he received as a result of the bribery scheme, as well as to pay full restitution to the Department of Defense. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
The case is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Richard B. Evans, J.P. Cooney and John Keller of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Alan Dasher of the Middle District of Georgia.
