North East man pleads guilty to bribery

BALTIMORE — A North East man faces up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty Friday to bribery relating to his job as a US Army Research Biologist, the US Department of Justice reports.

Jason Edmonds, 45, admitted to awarding government contracts to a specific company, EISCO, Inc. whose president, John Conigliaro would then pay Edmonds in cash or home improvement projects.

Erek L. Barron, US Attorney for Maryland District, along with FBI Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno, Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland made the announcement in Baltimore.

Edmonds committed a series of crimes from 2012 to 2019. Prosecutors pointed to a July 2013 incident in which Edmonds directed a $300,000 government project to EISCO for the Chemical Biological Center where Edmonds worked in the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. Three months later Conigliaro gave Edmonds $40,000 in cash, which allowed for the purchase of two rental properties. According to prosecutors Conigliaro also paid for thousands of dollars worth of renovations to those properties.

The two initiated a Promissory Note in June 2014, which allowed Edmonds to borrow $18,100 against the $40,000 sum of money as payment for past contract awards. He also amended the note to add that he was owed another $25,000 for future projects.

From Dec. 2016 to aug. 2017 Edmonds admitted to directing a series of projects to EISCO in return for a renovation at his personal residence, which included a granite countertop, kitchen sink and new siding for the home’s exterior.

Baseball cards and gold was how Edmonds planned to explain to investigators how he repaid Conigliaro, which was false. The plan was devised when Edmonds and Conigliaro met as investigators tried to conduct interviews.

No sentencing date has been set. A pre sentencing investigation must be completed first. Edmonds was indicted by federal prosecutors in Feb. 2022.