Businessman faces prison for bribes to land JBMDL, Picatinny contracts

A Pennsylvania construction company owner faces prison time for paying bribes to get, and keep, contracts at New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Picatinny Arsenal.

In a Newark federal courtroom today, George Grassie, 54, of Covington Township PA, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States through bribery, and one count of providing unlawful kickbacks, according to the office of New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. His sentencing date is scheduled for May 31 of this year.

Grassie told the court that between December 2010 and December 2013, he paid between $95,000 and $150,000 to "an individual employed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in New Jersey" for an edge on projects at the Ocean-Burlington and Morris County installations.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office related that the unidentified individual is a civilian, but was unable to detail whether the individual reported the bribes or potentially faces charges.

Grassie also admitted paying kickbacks of $40,000 to $95,000 to then-Project Managers Shawn Fuller and James Conway.

In August 2016, Conway pleaded guilty to counts of wire fraud and accepting kickbacks. Fuller pleaded guilty to accepting kickbacks in November 2015.

Authorities said that the charge of making unlawful kickbacks carries a possible 10-year prison term, and the penalty for the conspiracy charge could be as much as five years. Both counts entail fines of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss attached to the offense, whichever is greater.