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Master sergeant sentenced for accepting bribes

Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal
A plane at Hurlburt Field, where U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Cody Boone Covert served, is shown

A master sergeant at Hurlburt Field was sentenced this week to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty in October to conspiracy to commit theft of honest service, wire fraud and bribery by a public official.

U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Cody Boone Covert, 43, of Fort Walton Beach must also pay $126,300 in restitution. The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

In January 2014, Covert's 901st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Hurlburt Field was tasked with procuring specialized equipment in support of C-130 Special Operations aircraft. Michael Allen Braun of Forest Lake, Minnesota, who owned the company Trans Global Storage Solutions, conspired with Covert to obtain a contract from the U.S. Air Force.

Prior to the solicitation of the contract, Braun agreed to provide Covert 45 percent of the profit from the contract proceeds, if Covert ensured that Trans Global won the contract. Covert submitted a request to purchase the specialized equipment. Because Covert was the requester of the equipment, he was chosen to evaluate each proposal for technical acceptance. Subsequently, Covert decided the Trans Global proposal was the only proposal technically acceptable for the government requirement. After Trans Global was fraudulently awarded the $126,300 contract, Covert and Braun split the proceeds.

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Covert pleaded guilty Oct. 28 and Braun pleaded guilty Jan. 12.

“This was a great outcome for the investigation and prosecution of those who would do damage to the integrity of the U.S. Air Force acquisition process," said Special Agent-in-Charge Wendell W. Palmer, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations-Procurement Fraud Detachment 5 Southeast.

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, along with our investigative partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, will bring to justice anyone who takes bribes and kickbacks to undermine the integrity of the Department of Defense,” said Special Agent-in-Charge John F. Khin, DCIS, Southeast Field Office. “Corruption and fraud in DoD programs also jeopardizes the safety of our warfighters.”

Braun, 54, is scheduled to be sentenced April 10 at the U.S. Courthouse in Pensacola for conspiracy and bribery of a public official.