A growing bribery scandal involving a former NAVWAR employee

An investigation into contract bribery allegations at the Naval War Information Center has intensified with a new indictment accusing a defense contractor of showering gifts on a former civilian employee.

Cask Technologies, LLC and former company executive Mark Larsen were charged with conspiracy and bribery in a grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court in San Diego.

According to the indictment, Larsen, who held various executive positions at Cask, which has offices in San Diego and Virginia, is accused of providing lavish meals and golf outings to James Soriano, the figure at the center of the corruption scandal.

Soriano is a former civil engineer and certified contracting officer who worked for the Department of Defense at the Naval Warfare Information Center, or NAVWAR, formerly known as the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, or SPAWAR.

Soriano, who pleaded guilty in June, admitted in his plea agreement about his relationships with Larsen and Cask, prosecutors said.

In exchange for bribes, Soriano allegedly funneled noncompetitive small business contracts to Cask and its subsidiaries and allowed Cask employees to ghostwrite most of the documents related to the execution of government contracts for Soriano, such as official government correspondence and performance evaluations, according to the indictment .

Larsen and Cask Technologies were arraigned Wednesday in federal court in San Diego, and court records show Larsen was allowed out of custody on $20,000 bail.

“Mark Larsen and Cask Technologies, LLC plead not guilty to all charges and allegations contained in the government’s indictment,” Los Angeles attorney Aaron Dyer, who represents both defendants, said in an email. “These allegations are without merit and we look forward to vigorously challenging them in court.”

The indictment is the latest in a contract fraud case involving Soriano, who pleaded guilty to accepting expensive tickets to major sporting events and fancy meals from performers, as well as providing a close friend and family member with work without a job.

In September, Cambridge International Systems, a Virginia-based defense contracting company, was sentenced in San Diego after pleading guilty to bribery conspiracy and ordered to pay more than $4.1 million in fines and forfeitures.

“This latest indictment is another constructive step toward accountability in a multi-year investigation,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. “Mr. Larsen and Cask Technologies are accused of feeding their own greed by knowingly corrupting the government takeover process and certain government officials at the expense of our country’s soldiers and taxpayers.”

Soriano’s sentencing is scheduled for May. Two other people who pleaded guilty are awaiting sentencing, while others are fighting the charges.