Former Military Contractor Pleads Guilty for Paying Bribe to Army Officer During Iraq War

A former military contractor who ran two Kuwaiti companies during the Iraq War pleaded guilty today for paying a $15,000 bribe to an Army National Guard officer in exchange for the award of a contract to provide buses to the United States Army, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

George H. Lee, 71, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to one count of bribery of a public official.  Sentencing has been scheduled for July 7, 2015.

During his guilty plea, Lee admitted that as the president and chief executive officer of American Logistics Services (ALS), a Kuwaiti company providing supplies to the U.S. military in Iraq, he paid a $15,000 bribe to Lieutenant Markus E. McClain in exchange for McClain’s agreement to award an extension of a lucrative bus contract to ALS.  Specifically, Lee admitted that in August 2004 several of his employees met with McClain at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait and offered McClain $15,000 and a Rolex watch in exchange for McClain’s agreement to award the contract extension to ALS.  Lieutenant McClain initially declined, but one month later Lee renewed the offer, and McClain accepted $15,000 to use his official position to award the contract extension to ALS.

McClain previously pleaded guilty to one count of accepting a gratuity and is awaiting sentencing.   

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and was previously investigated by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys John Keller and Richard Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.