Two Defense Contractors Arrested for Bribery and Major Fraud Conspiracy Scheme Affecting Department of War Technology Innovation Contracts

The Justice Department announced criminal charges against Leonard Pick, 62, of Palm Beach Shores, Florida, and Brian Kent, 59, of Tampa, Florida, for orchestrating a bribery and major fraud conspiracy that corrupted the competitive procurement process for a Department of War technology innovation lab in the Pacific. The defendants’ alleged conduct specifically affected the construction and operation of the U.S. Army Pacific Command’s Hawaii-Pacific Innovation Campus, which was intended to be a hub for testing new technologies for the Department of War. The indictment, filed in the District of Hawaii on May 14 and unsealed today, alleges that, from January 2021 to October 2022, Pick and Kent conspired to bribe a U.S. Army employee with approximately $1.25 million over five years and fraudulently inflated government contracting costs to include the U.S. Army employee’s bribe payments. The indictment further alleges that, from approximately September 2020, up to and including October 2022, defendant Kent further defrauded the government by inflating government contract costs to include approximately $680,000 in payments intended for and sent to Kent’s personal consulting business. Defendants Pick and Kent are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and major fraud against the United States, one count of bribery, one count of major fraud against the United States, and one count of wire fraud. Kent is also charged with a second count of major fraud against the United States. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit bribery and major fraud is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for bribery is 15 years in prison and a fine of either $250,000 or three times the monetary value of the bribe, whichever is greater. The maximum penalty for major fraud against the United States is 10 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The fines may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fines. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.