Former Army civilian official pleads guilty in Hawaii defense contract bribery case

A former civilian U.S. Army official pleaded guilty on Oct. 28 to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud tied to contracts for an Army technology innovation lab in the Pacific, the Justice Department said.

According to the department, a plea agreement and information filed in federal court in Honolulu state that from January 2021 to October 2022, Carlos Duque conspired with two defense contractors, Brian Kent and Leonard Pick, to accept a bribe of about $1.25 million over five years. In return, the department said, Duque told prime contractors to award subcontracts to Kent and Pick's company and helped inflate government contracting costs to cover the bribe payments. Duque received about $55,000 in bribes, and the Army paid more than $3 million to the company, according to the department.

Duque faces maximum penalties of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, 15 years on the bribery charge and 10 years on the major fraud charge, plus fines, the department said. He agreed to forfeit $55,166.70. A federal judge will determine any sentence.

A federal grand jury indicted Kent and Pick in May 2026, and their trial is scheduled for May 17, 2027, the department said. Indictments are only allegations, and both men are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/560