Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Bribing D.C. Public Officials

Defendant Paid Cash Bribes to Metropolitan Police Department Employees in Exchange for Names and Contact Information for Traffic Crash Victims

           WASHINGTON – Marvin Parker, 60, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty Wednesday to one count of bribery of public officials, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

           Parker pled guilty before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a criminal Information, charged with one count of bribery of public officials and witnesses on July 31, 2019. Parker faces up to 15 years of prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. As part of his plea, Parker will pay a special assessment of $100 per felony conviction to the Clerk of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

           According to Parker’s admissions made in connection with his plea, Parker is the owner and sole proprietor of RPM Associates. As part of his business, Parker made cash payments to two employees of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Parker made those payments to MPD employees to influence them to provide him with information about individuals who had been involved in traffic accidents in Washington, D.C. Upon receipt of this information, Parker would contact those individuals by phone and offer to assist them with obtaining legal representation and medical services. MPD’s General Orders prohibits officers and employees from releasing Traffic Crash Reports except under limited circumstances. D.C. Law prohibits the solicitation of traffic accident victims within 21 days of the accident when the solicitation is for financial gain and for the purpose of directing the victim to practitioners, such as attorneys or medical providers.  

           Specifically, Parker paid MPD Employee 1 approximately $50 to $200 per week in cash for the Traffic Crash Report information. Parker paid MPD Employee 2 approximately $400 to $500 per week in cash for the Traffic Crash Report information.

           In total, between August 23, 2015, and October 11, 2017, Parker made more than $40,000 in cash payments to MPD Employee 1 and MPD Employee 2, in exchange for them providing Parker with Traffic Crash Report information in violation of their official duties as MPD employees.

           In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who assisted the case from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division. She also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including paralegal specialists Josh Fein and Mariela Andrade, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler, Andrew Floyd, and Colleen Kukowski who investigated and prosecuted the case.