Former Defense Executive Charged with Taking Bribes

A former executive of a Pennsylvania defense firm with close ties to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) has agreed to plead guilty to taking bribes from a partner defense company and is cooperating in a federal investigation of Pentagon contracting, records show.

Richard Ianieri, the former president of Coherent Systems International, agreed in court filings to admit that he took $200,000 in bribes from officials at a firm the company hired as a subcontractor. The charges were filed in court Monday and in more detail yesterday afternoon by federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh. They also indicate that Ianieri has consented to pleading guilty to the Pennsylvania charges in federal court in northern Florida, where he had faced unspecified but potentially related charges.

Read more: (Carol D. Leonnig, “Former Defense Executive Charged with Taking Bribes,” The Washington Post, 7/07/09)