GSA Veteran Admits Taking Bribes

The Justice Department announced Thursday that Dessie Ruth Nelson, 65, of Oakland, Calif., a former longtime employee of the General Services Administration, had pleaded guilty to accepting more than $100,000 in bribes from a firm providing security to federal buildings in return for awarding the company three federal contracts worth more than $130 million.

In exchange for steering contracts to Holiday International Security Inc. (which later changed its name to USProtect Corp.) Nelson received, among other things, a shopping bag filled with $35,000 in cash, an envelope containing $10,000, and a $7,000 Caribbean cruise.

Nelson's case was pursued by Justice's Procurement Fraud Task Force, which is chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher and includes representatives from U.S. Attorneys' Offices, the FBI, agency inspector general offices, and other federal law enforcement agencies.