FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2003 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRM (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray of the Criminal Division, Thomas Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI, and Harvey G. Florian, General Services Administration Regional Inspector General, announced today that former GSA contractor James Barratt pleaded guilty to bribery in connection with the awarding of GSA contracts at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago, Illinois.
In a plea this morning before the Honorable Samuel Der-Yeghiayan, Barratt admitted paying thousands of dollars in bribes to a GSA building manager in exchange for being awarded GSA contracts. In addition, Barratt admitted that the GSA building manager would award Barratt with no-work contracts and Barratt would then split the proceeds of the contract with the building manager.
Barratt faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines at sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 3, 2004.
The GSA contracts case resulted from a five-year undercover investigation in which numerous consensual recordings were made of GSA officials and contractors by cooperating GSA employees. The investigation is continuing.
Sixteen defendants have been charged to date in the investigation, and Barratt was the the 12th to plead guilty. The other guilty pleas to date include: Terrence Kulick, a GSA contractor; Scott Arias, a GSA contractor; Charles Funke, a GSA contractor; Merritt Pulkrabek, a former court security officer who worked at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse; Arthur Orr, a former GSA pipefitter; Jerry Taylor, a former GSA supervisor; Barry Lewinson, a GSA contractor; Theresa Pitt, a former FBI typist; and Carolyn Pease, a GSA contractor James Kramer, a former GSA supervisor; and Scott Bravos, a GSA contractor.
The other defendants charged in the investigation are: Glenn Hardy, a former GSA mechanical supervisor who had responsibility in the selection of contractors for the awarding of GSA supplies and services contracts in the courthouse; Raletta Ingram, a former building manager; John Gibson, a GSA contractor, Gerasimos Valsamis, a GSA contractor.
This prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorneys Alison Van Horn and Peter Zeidenberg of the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., headed by Noel L. Hillman, Chief, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Dean Polales of the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Illinois; the remainder of the United States Attorneys Office is recused from this investigation. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Chicago Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Chicago Zone Investigations Office of the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General. U.S. Marshal Kim R. Widup and the Marshals Service in Chicago also cooperated in the investigation. 03-654
Source: US Department of Justice
