Executives plead guilty in prison-food bribery case
Court Alerts
[##_1L|1098035181.jpg|width="170" height="128" alt=""|_##]Two executives of a Los Angeles food company pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to bribery charges arising from $532,000 in alleged kickbacks to Fred Monem, Oregon's recently fired prison food buyer. Pleading guilty in federal court in Eugene to bribery and tax fraud, Michael Levin, 52, and William Lawrence, 48, agreed to cooperate with government prosecutors, court papers show.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Cardani said prosecutors would recommend lenient sentences for both men, provided they continued to cooperate. Each man could face as long as 13 years in prison if maximum penalties are imposed.
Government attorneys and Levin and Lawrence agreed in a "statement of facts" document that Monem received $532,000 from L&L Inc., which the two defendants own.
"These payments were meant to influence and reward the (Oregon Department of Corrections) employee, and corruptly ensure future sales of distressed foods by L&L Inc. to ODOC," the document says.
Between July 2004 and January 2007, the Oregon prison system purchased $4.36 million worth of food from the California firm, court papers show.
Related listings
-
Man Pleads Not Guilty In Director Crash
Court Alerts 04/07/2007A driver arrested after the crash that killed "A Christmas Story" director Bob Clark and his son pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.Prosecutors say Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, steered his sport-ut...
-
Police arrest mom who forced her kids to panhandle
Court Alerts 04/06/2007Police say an unemployed suburban mother of five found a quick way to make ends meet: turning her children into panhandlers. Antoinette Jones, 37, pleaded not guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, at an arraignment Tuesday in Y...
-
Court dismisses suit to bar use of military fort
Court Alerts 04/05/2007[##_1L|1016764236.jpg|width="130" height="90" alt=""|_##]The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit dismissed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union to stop the Defense Department from allowing the Boy Scouts of America to hold its Nation...
Illinois Work Injury Lawyers – Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD.
Accidents in the workplace are often caused by unsafe work conditions arising from ignoring safety rules, overlooking maintenance or other negligence of those in management. While we are one of the largest firms in Illinois dedicated solely to the representation of injured workers, we pride ourselves on the personal, one-on-one approach we deliver to each client.
Work accidents can cause serious injuries and sometimes permanent damage. Some extremely serious work injuries can permanently hinder a person’s ability to get around and continue their daily duties. Factors that affect one’s quality of life such as place of work, relationships with friends and family, and social standing can all be taken away quickly by a work injury. Although, you may not be able to recover all of your losses, you may be entitled to compensation as a result of your work injury. Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD. provides informed advocacy in all kinds of workers’ compensation claims, including:
• Injuries to the back and neck, including severe spinal cord injuries
• Serious head injuries
• Heart problems resulting from workplace activities
• Injuries to the knees, elbows, shoulders and other joints
• Injuries caused by repetitive movements
For Illinois Workers’ Compensation claims, you will ALWAYS cheat yourself if you do not hire an experienced attorney. When you hire Krol, Bongiorno & Given, Ltd, you will have someone to guide you through the process, and when it is time to settle, we will add value to your case IN EXCESS of our fee. In the last few years, employers and insurance carriers have sought to advance the argument that when you settle a case without an attorney, your already low settlement should be further reduced by 20% so that you do not get a “windfall.” Representing yourself in Illinois is a lose-lose proposition.