PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Georgia accountant will do three years' probation for his role in a
$17.9 million Navy kickback scheme that left a Middletown business shuttered.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi on Friday accepted federal prosecutors' recommendation that Patrick B. Nagle, of Marietta, Ga., receive a dramatic reduction in his sentence for conspiracy to commit bribery due to his cooperation in the investigation.
His assistance was "extraordinary" to the prosecution of others, she said. Though he played a pivotal role in the execution of the scheme, Nagle profited little, only taking $45,000. His motivation to participate, she said, was to keep his job as chief financial officer at Georgia-based Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow. Nagle pleaded guilty in August 2011.
Lisi ordered Nagle to pay $17.9 million in restitution along with his alleged coconspirators. She imposed a $25,000 fine.
Nagle's remorse was on display Friday.
"What I should have done was walk away from the job," said Nagle, a quiet, well-spoken man. "That I didn't do so has continued to be a source of pain for me."
In February 2011, Anjan Dutta-Gupta, the founder of ASFT, was arrested along with Ralph M. Mariano, a civilian engineer with the Navy. Dutta-Gupta was accused of funneling millions of dollars to Mariano, his relatives and friends in return for getting Navy contracts for the technology firm. Mariano sought payments from Dutta-Gupta and directed that shell corporations be created, billing ASFT nearly $18 million for work that was not done, according to prosecutors.
More than 100 ASFT employees, many based at offices in Middletown, lost their jobs when the scheme was uncovered and the Navy suspended its contracts.