Air Force Employee Pleads Guilty to Providing Confidential Information to Companies Bidding on Federal Contracts

James Gillis, 60, of Maryville, IL, pled guilty to a charge of government procurement fraud in federal court in East St. Louis, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today.

Gillis was the Chief of Project Management for the 375th Civil Engineering Squadron at Scott Air Force Base. He admitted to knowingly disclosing confidential information to private companies bidding on contracts at Scott Air Force Base. This information gave an unfair competitive advantage to the companies receiving the information. Gillis received lunch and baseball tickets in connection with providing the confidential information.

Gillis’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 23, 2018, at 9:00 a.m., at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis, Illinois. The crime of government procurement fraud is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, not more than three years of supervised release, and restitution.

The investigation was conducted by agents from the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Procurement Fraud Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Quinley.