Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty In USPS Contracts Scheme
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday for a money scheme involving the U.S. Postal Service.
Richard Lewis Wright III, 47, formerly the Waverly station manager for USPS, pleaded guilty to bribery for his involvement in a contract scheme. Two others from Baltimore -- USPS Station Manager Kimberly A. Parnell, 43, and contractor Shane Anderson, 37, -- were previously charged for the same scheme.
According to their plea agreements, Wright and Parnell were authorized to contract landscapers, snow removers and cleaning services for the post offices they managed in Baltimore and Pikesville, respectively.
They admitted to creating, approving and submitting false invoices with inflated totals for maintenance work and taking a cut of the profits -- splitting them with contractors like Anderson. Wright started falsifying invoices in 2007 and Parnell began in 2010 until July 2013.
In total, Wright submitted $591,791 in invoices, while Parnell submitted a total of $50,470.
Parnell was sentenced to 20 months in prison, while Anderson received a 15-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander on Aug. 29.
Wright is facing a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and will be required to pay restitution for the full amount lost, which will be determined by the court. He's set to be sentenced on Feb. 6, 2015 at 10 a.m.
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