Former U.S. Army Range Operations Manager Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy

A former U.S. Army civilian employee pleaded guilty today to conspiring to accept bribes and disclose sensitive U.S. Army procurement information while serving as a range operations manager at Hawaii’s Schofield Barracks. 

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price of the District of Hawaii, Special Agent in Charge Ray Park of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army-CID), Special Agent in Charge Bryan Denny of the U.S. Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and Special Agent in Charge Sean Kaul of the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office made the announcement.

Franklin Raby, 67, of Greeneville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer of the Eastern District of Tennessee to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit bribery and disclose sensitive U.S. Army procurement information.  Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5, 2019.

According to admissions as part of his plea agreement, from March 2015 through May 2018, Raby, while employed as a public official for the U.S. Army, accepted tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of bribes—including an antique automobile—from an employee of a federal contractor that sought and received business from the United States Army.  In return, Raby provided the contractor with sensitive, internal U.S. Department of Defense procurement information, and otherwise used his position to benefit the contractor in securing U.S. Army contracts.

Army-CID, DCIS and the FBI investigated this case.  Trial Attorney Laura Connelly and Assistant Chief Justin Weitz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Wallenstein of the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case.  The Fraud Section appreciates the substantial assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.