Bureau of Prisons Employee Indicted for Allegedly Seeking and Accepting Gratuities

Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury has indicted Susan A. Pratt, age 46, of Crofton, Maryland, on charges of unlawful payment to a public official. The indictment was returned on July 24, 2012 and unsealed late last Friday, July 27, 2012.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

According to the six-count indictment, Pratt was a supervisory traffic management specialist in the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Relocation Services section, located in Annapolis Junction, Maryland. Relocation Services is responsible for paying the relocation expenses of BOP employees when they are reassigned to another duty station. Pratt was responsible for providing the relocating BOP employees with a list of approved movers, communicating with moving companies and approving moving expenses.

The indictment alleges that from 2007 through October 2010, Pratt demanded and received from four moving companies things of value, including spa services, meals and complimentary moving services, for Pratt’s involvement in arranging moves of BOP employees.

Pratt faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison on each of the six counts for unlawful payment to a public official. An initial appearance is expected to be scheduled later this week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General for its work in the investigation and thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Sean Marlaire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce K. McDonald, who are prosecuting the case.