Fairfax Man Sentenced To 180 Days Of Detention For Bribery Scheme

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Richard Holman, 69, of Fairfax was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to a 180-day home detention and a $110,000 fine in connection with a bribery scheme he executed while he was working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a Department of Justice release.

The former chief of USDA's Homeland Security and Emergency Coordination, Physical Security Division pleaded guilty in May to conducting a multi-year scheme in which he gave preferential treatment to Eric Schneider and Communications Resources, Inc. (CRI) in the awarding of more than $19 million in USDA contracts.

Between July 2013 and December 2015, Holman and other USDA officials accepted Corvette wheels, concert tickets, PGA tour tickets, meals, alcohol, strip clubs, parking, concierge medical services, prescription drugs and other cash tips from Schneider and CRI, according to court documents.

To facilitate the scheme, CRI employees crafted procurement documents in a way that gave the company a more favorable position in the awarding of multi-million dollar contracts, according to the DOJ release. USDA then used these documents as part of their procurement process.

Schneider, 51, who is also from Fairfax, pleaded guilty last November to conspiracy and obstruction for his role in the scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4.

Judge Carl J. Nichols sentenced Holman on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

USDA's Office of the Inspector General investigated the bribery scheme, with help from the inspectors general offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of State and the Small Business Administration.