NATION IN BRIEF : VIRGINIA : Two Plead Guilty in Defense Fraud Case

Two former executives of a defense firm pleaded guilty in an Alexandria, Va., federal court to defrauding the government by obtaining inside information about a defense contract competition. James E. Rapinac, 54, and C. J. (Jack) Richardson, 48, of the Norden Systems division of United Technologies Corp. face up to five years in prison. They admitted paying $27,500 to Washington defense consultant Thomas E. Muldoon for information on a contract for a $150-million radar system. The data came from a Navy procurement official. Norden withdrew from the competition when a government probe of procurement fraud became public.