Former National Guard Officer From Lilburn Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gratuity

A Lilburn man who was a former Installation Transportation Officer for the Georgia Army National Guard, pleaded guilty to one count of accepting an illegal gratuity. 

The particular crime committed by Keith Glenn, 48, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office, was accepting cash and other benefits from a private freight shipper to whom he awarded contracts to transport military equipment.

"This defendant was responsible for ensuring that contracts to move Georgia Army National Guard military equipment were awarded in compliance with federal rules and regulations," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. "He personally profited from his position by accepting cash and gifts from a freight shipper and will now be held accountable for breaking the law and the public trust."

In 2008, Glenn had just started working at the United States Property and Fiscal Office Transportation Office as the installation transportation officer, who is responsible for awarding contracts to private freight carriers for Guard freight shipments. 

He met someone who owned and controlled multiple companies in the freight shipping or brokerage business. Several months later, the USPFO Transportation Office began awarding business to that individual’s companies to ship Guard equipment and freight.  Glenn selected the individual’s companies and awarded them shipment contracts to move Guard equipment and freight.

According to the release, these actions violated federal rules and regulations governing the selection of freight carriers and the process for awarding freight contracts. Glenn accepted cash and other personal benefits, including plane tickets, from that individual for or because of the contracts he awarded to the individual’s companies.

On one occasion, the individual placed $5,000 in cash in Glenn’s car while meeting him at a local restaurant. Shortly before this payment, Glenn awarded multiple shipping contracts to the individual’s companies.

He was arrested and charged June 4 this year and pleaded guilty Tuesday (July 23). With the sentencing scheduled for Sept. 27, Glenn could receive a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

“We are fully committed to tirelessly pursuing all those who knowingly attempt to defraud the government or accept bribes with respect to military contracts, particularly while we at war,” said Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. “Our commitment is to ensure taxpayer dollars are not wasted or stolen and we will continue to fully investigate those who think they are above the law. During the last 10 years alone, Army CID Special Agents have been instrumental in recovering and returning millions of dollars to the Treasury and the Army from fraudulent practices involving contractors.”