VDOT Official Sentenced For Bribes From Alexandria Contractor

ALEXANDRIA, VA—A former Virginia Department of Transportation superintendent has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role taking bribes for nearly $11 million in snow removal contracts. An Alexandria contractor was among the contractors that took bribes from Anthony Willie, 55, of Culpeper and his co-conspirator Kenneth Duane Adams, 42, of Fairfax. Adams was previously sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

The two former VDOT supervisors at the Burke Area Headquarters negotiated bribes from the 2012‑2013 winter season through the 2016‑2017 winter season, court records show. They would solicit and receive bribes at local restaurants, grocery stores, and parking lots in Burke and Fairfax. Each bribe gave a portion of the hourly snow removal contracts as cash payments to Willie and Adams, who would sign off on their VDOT invoices. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

In all, they received about $440,000 in bribes from contractors for about five years. Willie and Adams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud. Adams also admitted to previously distributing cocaine to colleagues at VDOT and others, and to obtaining cocaine from a VDOT co-worker's relative.

The Alexandria contractor, Rolando Pineda Moran, 46, was among three private contractors that pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud involving VDOT. He was sentenced to six months in prison. The two other contractors are John Williamson, 51, of Springfield, who got 90 days, and Shaheen Sariri, 31, of Fairfax, who faces up to 20 years when sentenced March 9.

Another Elmer Mejia, 50, of Aldie was sentenced to six months for a $160K bribery scheme involving Adams’ nominee-owned company Supreme Landscaping.

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