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Greenbelt, Maryland – A Washington, D.C., man has pleaded guilty to bribing a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) official in connection with a federal contracting scheme.
James Tillman, 57, the sole owner of a general construction company that performed subcontracting work on GSA projects, admitted in court documents to providing bribes to a former GSA contracting officer representative, referred to as Public Official A. GSA is a federal agency responsible for managing federal property.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Phil Selden, Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon from the Justice Department's Criminal Division, GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson, GSA Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG), Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI Baltimore Field Office, Deputy Inspector General Kelly P. Mayo from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG), and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D. from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG).
Court documents show that between 2020 and 2021, Tillman provided approximately $59,800 worth of cash and goods to Public Official A in exchange for directing GSA federal project work to Tillman’s company. In 2020, Tillman gave Public Official A about $8,000 in cash in a parking lot in Clinton, Maryland. In 2021, following the direction of Public Official A, Tillman also purchased a sports car for the official. Tillman and his company made over $100,000 in profits as a result of this illegal arrangement.
Tillman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal public official and bribery of a federal public official. He now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled Tillman’s sentencing for June 2, 2025, at 2 p.m. The judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Bribery undermines the integrity of public services, and we are committed to holding individuals accountable for such actions,” said Acting United States Attorney Phil Selden, who praised the work of the GSA-OIG, FBI Baltimore Field Office, DOD-OIG, and DHS-OIG in the investigation. Selden also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office and its ongoing work in the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and community outreach resources.
Originally reported by U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland.