[PR] Former Federal Government Contract Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Columbia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 19, 2019

Defendant Worked at General Services Administration

           WASHINGTON – Ronnie Simpkins, 67, a former government contract officer with the General Services Administration (GSA), pled guilty today to a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which he accepted bribes from government contractors from August 2011 to August 2017.

           The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, and Eric D. Radwick, Acting Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, Office of Investigations.

           Simpkins, of Lusby, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Simpkins faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $75,000. He also has agreed to pay approximately $12,108 in a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Trevor N. McFadden scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2020.

           According to the government’s evidence, from 1989 until May 2019, Simpkins was employed by the General Services Administration (“GSA”) as a Contract Specialist, informally known as a Contracting Officer, in procurement related positions, and between August 2013 and May 2019, he worked as a Contract Specialist assigned to GSA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. As a Contract Specialist, Simpkins was deemed to be a public official as defined by 18 U.S.C. Section 201(a)(1), and as a senior Contract Specialist.