Former Chesapeake, Virginia Subcontractor Pleads Guilty To Bribery

NORFOLK, Va. – Dwayne Allen Hardman, 44, of Charleston, W.V., pleaded guilty today to charges of paying bribes to public officials.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Robert Craig, Special Agent in Charge for Defense Criminal Investigative Service Mid-Atlantic Field Office (DCIS);  Charles T. May Jr., the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Acting Executive Assistant Director for Atlantic Operations; and Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller.

Hardman was charged by criminal information on Feb. 12, 2014, with paying a bribe to public officials.  Hardman faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 6, 2014. 

According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in November 2004, Hardman and another businessman established a government contracting corporation in Chesapeake, Va. to provide support to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) on various telecommunications projects.  Shortly thereafter, in early 2005, Hardman and his business partner agreed to pay cash bribes to two MSC officials in exchange for official action to steer government contracts to Hardman’s corporation.  From March 2005 and until 2007, Hardman, his business partner and others paid the MSC officials approximately $3,000 each month in cash bribes.  During this time, Hardman and his business partner withdrew approximately $144,000 in cash, which was then provided to the two MSC officials in exchange for their assistance in securing MSC contracting and subcontracting business for Hardman’s company. 

According to court documents, in February 2009, Hardman left his former business and formed another government contracting company in Chesapeake with another businessman.  The two MSC officials again agreed to steer contracting work to Hardman’s new company in exchange for receiving bribes from Hardman and his new business partner.  In May 2009, Hardman and his new business partner paid each of the two MSC officials $25,000 in cash bribes.

On Feb. 12, 2014, one of the MSC officials, Kenny Toy, who was the Afloat Programs Manager for MSC’s N6 Command, Control, Communication, and Computer Systems Directorate, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in conjunction with this scheme.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the FBI Norfolk Field Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Stephen W. Haynie and Trial Attorney Emily Rae Woods, of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.