Ex-officials plead guilty to bribery

SCRANTON – Once high-ranking officials in Luzerne County government, Bill Brace and Doug Richards walked out of the federal courthouse in Scranton on Wednesday as convicted felons.

Richards, former head of human resources, and Brace, former chief deputy clerk, stood before U.S. District Judge James Munley in separate hearings and admitted they abused the public’s trust by accepting a bribe for helping a contractor obtain a county contract.

Richards, 44, and Brace, 65, each pleaded guilty to one count of corrupt receipt of a reward for official action. Munley scheduled sentencing for both of them for April 7.

Richards and Brace said little during their brief hearings, giving “yes” and “no” answers to a series of routine questions Munley posed to ensure they understood the rights they were giving up by forgoing a trial and pleading guilty.

Brace was charged on Nov. 12 with accepting a tailored, monogrammed suit in exchange for supporting a contract that was awarded between Jan. 1, 2006, and May 1, 2008, when he served as the county’s deputy chief clerk.

Richards was charged on Dec. 10 with accepting more than $1,000 from a contractor in the same time frame to reward Richards for supporting the contractor’s efforts to win a county contract.

The men are among 23 defendants who have been charged in connection with the ongoing county corruption probe that also ensnared their one-time boss, former county Commissioner Greg Skrepenak.

As has been typical with the corruption cases, the prosecutor in the Richards and Brace cases, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Phillips, provided few details of their crimes.

Phillips did not identify the contractor or contractors who paid the bribes to Richards or Brace. She also did not say if the cases are related.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Brace, the contractor arranged for Brace to be fitted for the custom-made suit by a tailor located in New York City sometime between June 1, 2007, and May 1, 2008. The suit was a reward for Brace’s support in obtaining a contract worth more than $5,000.

Phillips said the precise value of the suit has not yet been determined, but the defense and prosecution agree it was worth more than $1,500.

Brace served as deputy chief clerk until the end of 2008, when he accepted the county’s early-retirement incentive. He then was appointed by the state as a registrar with the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Registrars process death and birth certificates. He resigned from the post after his arrest.

Following his plea, Brace shook hands with the FBI agent who investigated his case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Houser, who co-prosecuted his case. Brace and his attorney, Joseph Nocito, declined to comment.

Richards served as human resources director from 2004 until he was fired by county commissioners in November for failing to answer questions regarding a controversial contract that was awarded to Continental Consultants Group Inc. of New York City.

Continental was given a no-bid contract in 2007 to oversee staff hired for a post-flood cleanup program. The firm later oversaw payments to former county employees who worked as consultants for the county.

County officials have uncovered information that appears to link Richards to Continental as well as B&M Investigations Inc., a New York City firm that was hired in 2006 to do background checks on employees and create a pre-employment procedure report. County officials have not been able to locate that report, which cost $35,000.

Phillips said authorities have not yet determined the exact amount of the bribe that was paid to Richards, but it was more than $1,000. She said she expects the exact amount to be known by the sentencing date.

Speaking after the hearing, Richards’ attorney, William Ruzzo, said Richards’ conduct was totally out of character for him. He could not explain why Richards got involved with criminal activity.

“This is a guy who worked hard all his life. He got a job with the county for which he was well qualified,” Ruzzo said. “I don’t know what happened.”

Sentencing guidelines in both cases call for a sentence of four to 10 months in prison. Munley is not obligated to follow the guidelines, however, and could sentence the men to less or more time up to the maximum for the crime, which is 10 years in prison.