Portsmouth Woman Sentenced for Bribery

NORFOLK, VA—Wendy Walters, 47, of Portsmouth, Va., was sentenced today in Norfolk federal court to 15 months in prison and was ordered to pay $19,125 in restitution for her role in a bribery scheme at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth (NMCP).

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Walters was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Walters previously pled guilty to the bribery charge on May 4, 2010.

According to court documents, Walters, a federal employee, supervisory supply technician, was responsible for the inventory and procurement of medical supplies and equipment at the NMCP. From 2006 through the end of 2009, Walters accepted approximately $19,125 in cash and other items of value in exchange for awarding $450,000 in purchasing orders to various medical supply vendors. Walters is the fifth individual to be sentenced in connection with the bribery scheme.

This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Naval Audit Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Seidel, Jr. and Kevin M. Comstock prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.