Defense Contractor, Ex-Employee Indicted for Allegedly Bribing Navy Civilian Worker

A Virginia-based defense contractor and one of its former employees have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly bribing a former San Diego-based Navy civilian employee.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that Cask Technologies, LLC and San Diego resident Mark Larsen, 46, are accused of providing various gifts to James Soriano, a one-time contracting officer’s representative at the Naval Information Warfare Center in San Diego.

Larsen was the director, and later the managing director, vice president and executive vice president of Cask, with offices in San Diego and Stafford, Va.

Soriano, who pleaded guilty to federal charges related to multiple bribery schemes, is set to be sentenced in May. He allegedly received free meals and golf outings along with jobs for family members and friends.

Prosecutors say Soriano paid back the favors by helping steer contracts to Cask. He also allegedly allowed Larsen and others to “ghost write” documents that ensured the firm and its affiliated companies were awarded the contracts they sought.

“Allowing bribery and corruption to dictate who obtains (these) important contracts undermines the system and dishonors our defense operations,” San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath said in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Soriano’s guilty pleas involved facts related to Cask and Larsen. He also pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from another contractor, Cambridge International Systems.

Prosecutors said that with Soriano’s help, Cambridge was awarded two task orders, one of which included more than 70 projects.

The government obligated around $132 million for those task orders, but only about $1.6 million was paid out before the bribes were discovered, prosecutors said.

Earlier this year, Cambridge was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $2.25 million in connection with the scheme.