COVINGTON TOWNSHIP — The owner of a construction company in Lackawanna County has admitted paying bribes and kickbacks to get contracts at two military bases in New Jersey.
George Grassie, 54, of Covington Township, pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Grassie owned a business that did construction, excavation, and landscaping and did work as a subcontractor at Picatinny Arsenal and Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst (Ft. Dix). He admitted that from December 2010 to December 2013, he paid bribes valued at $95,000 to $150,000 to an individual employed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in New Jersey to obtain and retain subcontracts. He also admitted that he paid kickbacks valued at $40,000 to $95,000 to Shawn Fuller and James Conway, who were then project managers for a prime contractor at the two locations.
Grassie faces large fines and up to 15 years in prison when sentenced.