Business & Tech

Roswell Company President Pleads Guilty to Bribery Charge

Advance Solutions for Tomorrow founder and president has pled guilty to bribing a U.S. Navy official.

The founder and president of the Roswell-based (ASFT) technology services company has pled guilty in the Providence, Rhode Island U.S. District Court to charges of bribing a public official in connection with an alleged kickback scheme involving more than $9 million in U.S. Navy funds.

According to information released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Anjan Dutta-Gupta, 58, whose company had offices in Roswell and Middletown, RI, agreed to plead guilty to paying bribes to a civilian program manager and senior systems engineer with the United States Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The bribes were allegedly meant to ensure additional funding to existing Naval contracts and work orders for ASFT.

Dutta-Gupta was arrested on February 8, by U.S. Customs agents in Atlanta as he entered the country on a return trip from Chile. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bond following appearances in U.S. District Courts in Atlanta and Providence, according to the FBI.

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The kickback scheme allegedly occurred between 1996 and 2011. At least $8 million was paid by ASFT through subcontractors to Ralph Mariano, 52, of Arlington VA, his family members and a senior vice president with ASFT, according to a statement of facts attached to the plea agreement signed by Dutta-Gupta and filed with the District Court in Providence on Monday, April 18. Additionally, at least $1.2 million paid to subcontractors that were based on inflated invoices was funneled back to SIC, a corporation owned by Dutta-Gupta.

The reports that federal investigators seized company assets as part of its ongoing investigation and caused ASFT to close its doors in February, resulting in the layoffs of company employees. Attempts by Roswell Patch to contact local employees were unsuccessful.

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The bribery scheme has caused the Navy to take a long hard look at itself. Naval leaders have convened a special review team "to plug any holes in the service's anti-corruption defenses," according to a recent report by The Huffington Post.

Dutta-Gupta's case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lee H. Vilker and Andrew J. Reich.


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