U.S. Army Research Biologist pleads guilty to engaging in bribery scheme at Aberdeen Proving Ground

BALTIMORE, MD—A 45-year-old North East man has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges after authorities say he accepted cash and other incentives from a company in exchange for favorable treatment.

Jason Edmonds was employed by the U.S. Army as a Research Biologist at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The Chemical Biological Center at the AGP was the nation’s principal research and development center for non-medical chemical and biological weapons defense. Court documents say Edmonds accepted cash and other financial benefits from John Conigliaro, the owner and CEO of EISCO, Inc. between 2012 and 2019. Edmonds is facing a maximum of 5 years in federal prison.

According to a guilty plea, Edmonds accepted $300,000 for a project to Conigliaro’s company. In exchange, Edmonds received $40,000 in cash and was allowed to purchase two rental properties. Conigliaro also paid for thousands of dollars in renovations to the properties. Edmonds also signed a fake promissory note which he later amended to say he had received $18,100 for past projects and that Conigliaro would give him an additional $25,000 for future projects.

The scheme continued between 2016 and 2017. Edmonds directed a series of government projects to Conigliaro’s company in exchange for a stream of benefits including a kitchen remodel at Edmonds’s personal residence, the purchase of a granite countertop, a kitchen sink, and new siding to his home. The two met with federal agents in 2020 and discussed the investigation.

Edmonds is facing a maximum of five years in federal prison.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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