In “Army Major Arrested For Money Laundering“, I described how Major John Cockerham and his wife Melissa Cockerham were prosecuted for a bribery / money laundering scheme. According to their indictment, Major Cockerham had taken bribes as an Army Contracting Officer in Kuwait while awarding contracts for bottled water, etc. Since their indictment, Major Cockerham pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and money laundering conspiracy, and his wife pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. Although a recent docket report reflects that Major Cockerham and his wife await sentencing on October 22, 2008, Major Cockerham’s sister Carolyn Blake, is still scheduled for trial in connection with their case.
A second Army Major however, also awaits sentencing because of the separate bribery scheme described by the three-count Information filed in U.S.A. v. James Momon, Jr. Major Momon, (who in 2005 took over Major Cockerham’s job as a Contracting Officer in Kuwait), pleaded guilty on August 13 to conspiracy and bribery charges. A press release about the guilty plea, mentions that Major Momon began taking bribes in 2005, while awarding bottled water and other Army contracts.
Just as Major Cockerham hid bribe monies by using offshore bank accounts in high-risk locations such as Kuwait and Dubai, Major Momon similarly hid his bribes in bank accounts in the Philippines. Furthermore, both Major Cockerham and Major Momon had each used shell companies as a means to conceal the bribes they had received.
Copyright 2008 Fred L. Abrams