Bribery and Corruption on the Red River

Two vendors to the Red River Army Depot, Jeffrey Harrison, 44, and Justin Bishop, 52, were convicted of submitting false bids and bribery to the equipment mechanic supervisor at RRAD, Jimmy Scarbrough, 69, and two others.

Harrison was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $300,000. Bishop was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $55,000.

Devin McEwin, 43, and Louis Singleton, 64, received bribes as RRAD officials. They were each sentenced to five years of federal probation, including eight months of home confinement.

Harrison gave Scarbrough at least $116,000 in money orders, which the depot official often used for his collection of cars… (deleted for brevity). In one instance, Scarbrough paid $9,000 in money orders for new chrome trim for his red and black 1936 Ford Tudor, according to court documents. He had the word “Velocity” — his name for the car — etched onto the trim.

Bishop presented Scarbrough with more than $27,000 in antique guns, including a Colt revolver and Wurfflein dueling pistols, according to court documents.

McEwin and Singleton also received bribes from Harrison.

Like Scarbrough, McEwin directed the bribes toward a local volunteer fire department and refurbishments on his antique car, according to the Justice Department. He also accepted hunting trips, the department said.

Singleton received from Harrison and others more than $18,000 in bribes — including club seats at a Dallas Cowboys football game versus the New England Patriots, according to the department.

Scarbrough was convicted in August but is awaiting sentencing.

From 2015 to 2019, according to court documents, Scarbrough directed Harrison and Bishop to submit bids for depot purchases, telling them specific prices they should include in their bids. By collecting fake bids from multiple vendors, Scarbrough ensured that the vendor he favored would win, while making it seem that the process was competitive.

For some purchases, the process was so phony that the vendors didn’t even deliver the items the depot had paid for, according to court documents.

Military Times, all quotes

Think API has the right idea for sentencing… “scaffold, rope, some assembly required.” Every bogus bid they collected on is money that could be used to keep our guys alive and lethal instead.

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Army, Crime