Virginia Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging on

On February 21, Robert Taylor, the former president of a Clearbrook, Virginia marine products company agreed to plead guilty for his participation in two separate conspiracies to rig bids and allocate customers with respect to marine products purchased by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other public and private entities. Mr. Taylor was also charged for his role in a conspiracy to bribe an employee of the City of New York to win orders for marine products. Mr. Taylor agreed to serve 30 months in prison and pay a $100,000 criminal fine. Mr. Taylor is the second executive to agree to plead guilty and has also agreed to cooperate with the DOJ’s ongoing investigation in the marine products industry.

The DOJ remains commited to protecting competitive contracts for the U.S. military and the DOJ will continue to pursue bid-rigging schemes that threaten the competitive process.
Gerald Thermos, one of Taylor’s co-conspirators and president of a California marine products company, pleaded guilty in September 2006 to one count of conspiracy to allocate customers and rig bids for contracts of marine foam-filled fenders and buoys from June 2000 to August 2005.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s National Criminal Enforcement Section with the assistance of the DOD’s DCIS and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the U.S. Navy.

Andre Barlow
(202) 589-1834
abarlow@dbmlawgroup.com