Follow-Up: Former Army Official Carlos Duque Pleads Guilty in Hawaii Defense Contract Bribery Scheme Involving About $1.25 Million in Promised Bribes
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 28 that Carlos Duque, a former civilian U.S. Army official, pleaded guilty in federal court in Honolulu, Hawaii, to participating in a bribery and major fraud scheme that corrupted the competitive process for a U.S. Army technology innovation lab in the Pacific. GSM reported on October 23 that Duque faced a bribery case involving more than $1 million and was due in court on October 28; the guilty plea is the latest development in the case.
According to a plea agreement and information filed in the U.S. District Court in Honolulu, from January 2021 to October 2022, Duque conspired with two defense contractors, Brian Kent and Leonard Pick, to accept a bribe of approximately $1.25 million over five years. In return, Duque told prime contractors to award subcontracts to Kent and Pick's company and facilitated their fraudulent inflation of government contracting costs to include Duque's bribe payments. Duque ultimately received approximately $55,000 in bribes, and the U.S. Army paid over $3 million to Kent and Pick's company.
Duque pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery, and major fraud. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000; the bribery charge carries up to 15 years, a fine of up to $250,000 or three times the monetary equivalent of the bribe, whichever is greater, plus disqualification from holding federal office; and the major fraud charge carries up to 10 years and a fine of up to $5 million. He also agreed to forfeit $55,166.70 under the plea agreement. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, as well as any restitution to be paid to the Department of War.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said fraud that deprives the U.S. military of free and fair competition for government contracts harms everyone. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad of the Antitrust Division said the Procurement Collusion Strike Force will detect and prosecute such conduct, and U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii said those who obtain military contracts through fraud will be held accountable.
A federal grand jury indicted Kent and Pick in May 2026 (United States v. Brian Kent, et al., No. 26-CR-00047-DKW); their trial is scheduled for May 17, 2027, before Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson. An indictment is only an allegation, and both men are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in court. The Antitrust Division's San Francisco Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case, investigated with the assistance of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the GSA Office of Inspector General.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于夏威夷州 Honolulu 的 Prince Kuhio 联邦大楼与美国法院（夏威夷区联邦地区法院驻地，本案认罪法庭所在地）。照片：Tony Webster 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Prince Kuhio Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Honolulu, Hawaii, home of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, where the guilty plea was entered. Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-23Former Army Employee Carlos Duque Faces Federal Court October 28 in Bribery Case Involving More Than $1 Million
- 2026-10-28Follow-Up: Former Army Official Carlos Duque Pleads Guilty in Hawaii Defense Contract Bribery Scheme Involving About $1.25 Million in Promised BribesThis story
