A former member of the U.S. Army National Guard, Christopher Renfro, pleaded guilty Wednesday to bribery, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
The DOJ said 25 former and current military recruiters and U.S. soldiers in the San Antonio and Houston areas have now been arrested and 23 have pleaded guilty in a scheme to obtain phony recruiting bonuses.
The National Guard Bureau contracted with Document and Packaging Broker Inc. (Docupak) to administer the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP).
G-RAP offered incentives to soldiers in the Army National Guard who referred others for recruitment. A soldier could win a bonus up to $2,000 for a referral.
From 2008 to 2011, Renfro paid former Sergeant First Class Michael Rambaran for the personal identifying information of potential Army National Guard soldiers.
Renfro used the personal information to draw fraudulent bonuses by falsely claiming he referred the recruits to the Army National Guard.
Renfro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and of bribery in March.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2015.
Rambaran pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, and one count of aggravated identity theft. His sentencing is set for January 9 next year.
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Julie DiMauro is the executive editor of FCPA Blog and can be reached here.
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