LOS ANGELES – A U.S. Army Contracting Officer Representative pleaded guilty Thursday to federal bribery charges stemming from his approval of fraudulent invoices issued by South Korean contractors in return for payments totaling at least $170,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Marcus D. Flowers, 50, of Enterprise, Alabama, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
Flowers pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 11.
Flowers, who worked as a Contracting Officer for the United States Army, was responsible for approving invoices issued by various South Korean contractors that installed closed circuit televisions at U.S. military installations in the Republic of Korea. According to court documents, Flowers accepted between $170,000 and $543,783 in cash and other items of value in return for approving payments to contractors despite their non-installation of CCTVs, or the installation of cheaper, inferior CCTV models than those required by the contracts.
As part of his plea, Flowers has agreed to forfeit to the government any remaining proceeds of the bribery scheme, which includes cash and real estate purchased in the Philippines.
Flowers flew to the United States from South Korea and surrendered himself to authorities in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He is currently free on his personal recognizance.
The federal case that led to Flowers’ arrest and subsequent plea resulted from a joint investigation conducted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, which received assistance from South Korean authorities
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel O’Brien of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Galatzan of the Asset Forfeiture Section is assisting in the case.