A Franklin, Tenn., man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud by paying bribes to secure medical services contracts for the Norfolk City Jail.
According to court documents, Gerard Boyle, 66, admitted to engaging in a 13-year bribery scheme with former Norfolk Sheriff Robert McCabe. Boyle was the founder and chief executive officer of Correct Care Solutions, a company that provided medical services to inmates at local jails.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Boyle provided McCabe things of value, such as gifts, cash, entertainment, a Richard Petty driving experience, travel, campaign contributions, and in-kind political contributions. In exchange, McCabe performed official acts related to CCS’ medical services contracts with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.
The medical services contracts were worth approximately $3.2 million per year. On Aug. 24, a Norfolk federal jury convicted McCabe of all eleven charged counts related in part to this scheme.
“The defendant conspired with the corrupt former Norfolk Sheriff to defraud the citizens of our community through an extensive bribery scheme involving cash, travel, entertainment, gifts, and campaign contributions,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This prosecution should send a clear message to those who seek to erode the public’s trust through bribes—including government contractors who pay them and corrupt elected officials who accept them—that they will be held accountable, regardless of their wealth or position.”
“Gerard Boyle leveraged McCabe’s greed to unfairly game the system and get ahead of competitors. Their conspiracy to steer contracts to Boyle’s business in exchange for bribes was not only unfair to other businesses that played by the rules, but it betrayed the trust and confidence of the community,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “The FBI will never allow bribery to become business as usual.”
“Paying bribes to get business is not only unethical, but it puts competitors who follow the law at an unfair disadvantage,” said Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Washington DC Field Office. “We will continue to vigorously investigate those who seek to stifle fair competition by participating in pay-to-play contract schemes.”
Boyle is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
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