A former contractor with the Georgia National Guard pleaded guilty Friday to an illegal kickback scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Raytosha Elliott, 35, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and agreed to pay restitution as part of a plea deal, acting U.S. Attorney John Horn’s office said in an emailed statement.
“Ms. Elliott abused her position with the Georgia National Guard by awarding no-bid contracts to her friends in exchange for illegal kickbacks,” Horn said. “She and one friend alone pocketed nearly $75,000 in funds that were intended to maintain facilities supporting those who serve this country.”
Elliott was an engineering operations manager at the Clay National Guard Center at Dobbins between May 2007 an April 2012 and had the authority to award contracts valued at less than $5,000 without going through the bidding process.
Elliott awarded numerous contracts under $5,000 to vendor companies created by her friends and associates, including co-defendant Lakeysha Ellis, according to federal investigators. In return, Ellis paid Elliott kickbacks, equal to 50 percent of the value of the contracts, for steering the contracts to Ellis’ vendor company, Total Source Solution, LLC. Elliott falsely said work had been completed when it had not.
On March 27, Ellis, 37, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiring with Elliott to commit fraud against the Georgia National Guard. The indictment also charges a third defendant, Angela Thicklin, of conspiring with Elliott and bribing a public official. The case against Thicklin, 44, of Atlanta, is pending trial.
Sentencing for Elliott is scheduled for August 13 at 10:30 a.m. Sentencing for Ellis has not yet been scheduled.
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