Defense Fraud Brings Prison Term
Former defense consultant Mark Saunders was sentenced to 21 months in prison and fined $5,000 Friday for his role in funneling military procurement data to a defense contractor.
Saunders, 56, was convicted June 5 of conspiracy to defraud the government, wire fraud and conversion of government property as part of the long-running Justice Department investigation of procurement abuses at the Pentagon. The probe is dubbed “Operation Ill Wind.”
The investigation has resulted in nearly 40 convictions of Pentagon officials, consultants and executives of defense firms as well as several corporations.
U.S. District Judge Albert V. Bryan Jr. ordered that Saunders be placed on two years of supervised probation after completing his prison term.
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