Nassau Man Sentenced For Taking Bribes At Merchant Marine Academy

John McCormick, A former planner/estimator for the Department of Public Works of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and an Atlantic Beach resident, was sentenced on Friday morning to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for his conviction of receiving a bribe as a public official.

In addition, the court gave McCormick a $10,000 fine and a forfeiture of $78,000 for funds he illegally obtained as part of his scheme to defraud the government by steering maintenance and repair contracts to favored contractors in exchange for bribes. McCormick pleaded guilty in January.

Between 2000 and 2014 while McCormick was employed in the Department of Public Works of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, he solicited and submitted fake bids on contracts he supervised in order to steer the awarding of maintenance and repair contracts to favored contractors who paid him bribes. McCormick, using his position, arranged, supervised or effected a majority of construction contracts at the Academy. He became known among contractors as “Ten Percent McCormick,” in reference to the amount of bribe payments required to do business at the Academy. McCormick accepted more than $150,000 in bribes.

“McCormick abused his position of trust by putting government contracts up for sale in order to line his pockets with bribe money,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget Rohde. “This office, together with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who engage in public corruption that threatens the integrity of the contract procuring process.”

Photo: Frank Eltman/AP