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Press Release

Former Department of Commerce Employee Indicted on Bribery Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Raushi J. Conrad, 42, of Bristow, was arrested today on charges of conspiracy to pay and receive bribes, and acceptance of bribes by a public official.

According to the indictment, from at least 2008 through October 2011, Conrad served as the Director of Systems Operation and Security within the Bureau of Industry and Security, a branch of the Department of Commerce.  In that position, Conrad was designated to oversee and manage a project whereby computer files were transferred from an old BIS computer network that had been infected by a virus to a new, uninfected network, and to ensure that the transferred files were free of viruses and, in some instances, retained the full functionality of the files that had resided on the old network.

The indictment alleges that while serving as the project manager for the data migration project, Conrad solicited and received bribes from a local businessman in return for steering a lucrative subcontract and contract to perform the data migration work to companies owned in whole or in part by the bribe payer.  One of the bribe payer’s companies made $208,000 in payments to a restaurant business owned by Conrad, and many of these payments were concealed through false and fictitious invoices created by Conrad.  The fake invoices made it appear that Conrad’s restaurant business had performed various services for the bribe payer’s company, when in fact no such services had ever been provided.  According to the indictment, the bribe payer’s company also arranged for various subcontractors to perform over $7,000 worth of free renovation work at Conrad’s residence.

Conrad faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted of conspiracy, and 15 years in prison if convicted of bribery. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Duane E. Townsend, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General; and Robert E. Craig, Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after Conrad’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Burke and Jamar K. Walker are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-CR-169.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Updated August 1, 2016

Topic
Public Corruption