A high-ranking Defense Department official with influence over federal contracts pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting bribes.
"I'm accepting responsibility and ready to move forward," Desi Deandre Wade, who was the department's chief of fire and emergency services in Afghanistan, said in federal court in Atlanta.
Wade was arrested Aug. 24 at an Atlanta hotel after accepting $95,000 in cash from a contractor working undercover for the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Services.
Afghan-based investigators were tipped off about Wade in July after he took a $4,000 bribe in exchange for facilitating the awarding of a federal contract. That led to the sting operation in Atlanta, which coincided with an international fire safety convention.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney, the 40-year-old Gulf War veteran wanted 5 percent of the profits generated from a $4.5 million contract and finally agreed to accept $95,000.
Wade, of Climax, Ga., faces up to 15 years in prison but, because he has no criminal record, will likely receive a much lighter sentence, said his attorney, Ebony Ameen. Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 29. CHRISTIAN BOONE
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What would you do if you won a $77 million lottery jackpot? What would you do if you didn’t discover that you had the winning ticket until AFTER the deadline for claiming the prize?
That’s the scenario that could play out next week, because the 180-day window for the Georgia Lottery player who won the June 29 Powerball jackpot to come forward slams shut on Monday.
That winning ticket, with the numbers 24, 30, 45, 57 and 59 and the “Power Ball” of 26, was sold at the Pilot Travel Center truck stop along I-20 just inside the state from Alabama, and so far, no one has come forward to stake a claim to the huge jackpot.
Since players have just 180 days to claim any prize from online games, next Tuesday will be too late to claim the money, according to Georgia Lottery spokeswoman Tandi Reddick. MIKE MORRIS
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Georgia State Parks will host New Year’s Day hikes at twelve state parks to help you start the new year with a commitment to healthy living. The nationwide event is sponsored by America’s State Parks, with New Year’s Day hikes being held in all 50 states. A list of all ranger-led hikes and the entire calendar of events can be found at GeorgiaStateParks.org/events. For more information, call 404-656-2770. MEA WATKINS
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Three of a Kind
A look a yard holiday decorations. B5
Restaurant Inspections
Find out how your neighborhood nosh rates with the county health inspector. B5
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