HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona says three men have been sentenced for their roles in a bribery scheme at Redstone Arsenal.
U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced the following men:
- 56-year-old Coogan Preston of Columbia, South Carolina, to 64 months in prison.
- 56-year-old Francisco Guerra of Lexington, Alabama, to 60 months in prison
- 48-year-old Jason Ingram of Rogersville, Alabama, to 24 months in prison.
In December 2024, the three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official.
According to the plea agreements, the scheme began in 2016 and continued until 2021. As part of the scheme, authorities said Guerra agreed to give money and other valuable items to Preston, a government contracting official working at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
In exchange for these bribes, Preston found subcontracting opportunities for companies owned and operated by Guerra and convinced the prime contractor to use one of Guerra’s companies as a subcontractor.
“The government officials and contractors working on Redstone Arsenal play a critical role in supporting the United States military,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The individuals sentenced today chose personal gain over their professional duty. These sentences were the result of that choice and should serve as a warning to others.”
“As a government contracting official, Preston traded the public’s trust given to him for greed,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Using their investigative and forensic accounting skills, IRS Criminal Investigation special agents were able to follow the money — bringing Preston and his conspirators to justice.”
“In collaboration with its investigative partners, the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) vigorously pursues fraud and corruption that threaten the integrity of the DoD, particularly when such crimes impact the well-being of our Nation’s Warfighters,” said Jason Sargenski, Special Agent-in-Charge of DCIS’s Southeast Field Office. “DCIS remains steadfast in working with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who commit fraud against the U.S. Government are held accountable.”
The Department of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the United States Department of Defense Office of Inspector General – Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Helped U.S. Attorney Lloyd Peeples prosecute the cases.
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