V8403
February 26th, 2008, 21:56
NOT ONLY THE MARINES BUT IT HAPPENS IN OTHER BRANCHES ALSO!!
Army officer sentenced to 28 months for taking bribe
ROCK ISLAND —
A soldier who pleaded guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe to influence a foodservice contract for military in the Middle East has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.
Chief Warrant Officer Peleti “Pete” Peleti Jr., of Hawaii, was sentenced to 28 months in prison during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Rock Island on Wednesday.
Peleti, who pleaded guilty last year, was charged in Illinois because he was serving in the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, which is overseen by an office at Rock Island Arsenal.
According to prosecutors, Peleti took the bribe while he was at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where he was the Army’s theater foodservice adviser for that country as well as Iraq and Afghanistan.
They contended he tried to steer a contract for plastic flatware and paper products away from a government contractor in 2005 after the president of the Kuwaiti company gave him the cash bribe. The Kuwaiti company did not receive the contract.
During the hearing, an emotional Peleti asked the judge to be placed on probation, telling him that his mother and two siblings had died and his wife left him.
“Until recently, my record has been unblemished,” said Peleti, a career military man who has earned two Bronze Stars and other honors.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Lang said Peleti was “keenly aware” that he was prohibited from taking gifts from potential vendors.
“He violated the Army’s trust and his oath,” Lang said. “He became corrupt.”
Peleti faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to $500,000 in penalties. Besides the 28-month sentence, Peleti must pay a fine of $7,500.
http://www.galesburg.com/news/x257794284
Army officer sentenced to 28 months for taking bribe
ROCK ISLAND —
A soldier who pleaded guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe to influence a foodservice contract for military in the Middle East has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.
Chief Warrant Officer Peleti “Pete” Peleti Jr., of Hawaii, was sentenced to 28 months in prison during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Rock Island on Wednesday.
Peleti, who pleaded guilty last year, was charged in Illinois because he was serving in the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, which is overseen by an office at Rock Island Arsenal.
According to prosecutors, Peleti took the bribe while he was at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where he was the Army’s theater foodservice adviser for that country as well as Iraq and Afghanistan.
They contended he tried to steer a contract for plastic flatware and paper products away from a government contractor in 2005 after the president of the Kuwaiti company gave him the cash bribe. The Kuwaiti company did not receive the contract.
During the hearing, an emotional Peleti asked the judge to be placed on probation, telling him that his mother and two siblings had died and his wife left him.
“Until recently, my record has been unblemished,” said Peleti, a career military man who has earned two Bronze Stars and other honors.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Lang said Peleti was “keenly aware” that he was prohibited from taking gifts from potential vendors.
“He violated the Army’s trust and his oath,” Lang said. “He became corrupt.”
Peleti faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to $500,000 in penalties. Besides the 28-month sentence, Peleti must pay a fine of $7,500.
http://www.galesburg.com/news/x257794284