PROVIDENCE, R.I.,None — A Navy contractor charged in a multimillion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme has pleaded guilty in Rhode Island to bribing a public official.
Anjan Dutta-Gupta of Roswell, Ga., entered his plea Thursday in federal court in Providence.
The 58-year-old was arrested in February on charges he paid $8 million in bribes over more than a decade to civilian Navy employee Ralph Mariano, his relatives and associates. Prosecutors say in return, Mariano increased funding to Navy contracts held by Dutta-Gupta's now-defunct company, Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow.
ASFT was based in Roswell and had offices in Rhode Island.
As part of his plea agreement, Dutta-Gupta will cooperate with prosecutors, who agreed to recommend a reduced sentence.
Fifty-two-year-old Mariano, of Arlington, Va., has been charged but not indicted. His attorney has declined to comment on Dutta-Gupta's plea deal.