O.C. Man Sentenced in American Honda Case : Autos: He is given two-year prison term for his role in largest bribery scheme in U.S. history.

In the first sentencing in the American Honda Motor Co. bribery case, an Orange County man was given a two-year prison term Monday for his role in the $15-million bribery and kickback scheme that flourished throughout the 1980s.

Thomas Caulfield of Foothill Ranch, one of 22 indicted and found guilty, was also fined $67,000 in what federal prosecutors called the biggest commercial bribery scheme ever uncovered in the United States.

Caulfield, a former assistant advertising manager for the Torrance importer and distributor of Honda automobiles, pleaded guilty last year to mail fraud for receiving $816,000 in advertising kickbacks from dealers who hoped for favorable treatment in return.

A second Orange County man, former American Honda Executive Vice President Stanley James Cardiges of Laguna Hills, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday. Federal prosecutors painted Cardiges as one of the kingpins of the bribery ring and said he received as much as $5 million in cash and goods from dealers.

The American Honda executives received cash, jewelry, shopping sprees, automobiles and other gifts from business people eager to do work for Honda and from dealers eager for lucrative franchises and scarce automobiles.

The bribery ring was fueled by the huge demand and often short supplies during the 1980s for Hondas and the company’s luxury Acura models. Dealers could, and often did, charge $2,000 to $3,000 above the sticker price for the most sought-after models.

Cardiges pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, fraud, racketeering and witness tampering in February--on the morning his trial was to have begun. He became a key government witness against two fellow defendants who subsequently were convicted after a four-month trial.

Cardiges faces 35 years in prison and a $1-million fine. But his cooperation with authorities is expected to result in a reduced sentence.

In a second sentencing Monday, Robert Mazzitelli of Alpharetta, Ga., was sentenced to 20 months in prison and fined $10,000. The former manager for Honda’s Southeast zone pleaded guilty to mail fraud for receiving $380,000 in dealer and advertising kickbacks.

In all, a federal grand jury in New Hampshire indicted 24 people, including 16 former American Honda executives. Charges against two were subsequently dismissed.