10 Years Ago Today . . .

. . . A Brea man pleaded guilty to persuading his employer, Northrop Corp., to award $600,000 in subcontract work for the top-secret Stealth bomber to an Orange County firm he secretly owned.

The 56-year-old engineer also admitted selling parts to Northrop for inflated prices: $20 headphones, for example, cost Northrop $90.

Source: Times archives