A Fayetteville husband and wife have been charged with the theft of nearly $1 million of military property, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Morris Cooper, 62, and Beverly Cooper, 52, were named in the indictment, said Robert J. Higdon Jr. in a news release.
Morris Cooper was charged with bribery and theft of government property. Beverly Cooper was charged with conspiring to steal government property and aiding and abetting her husband.
The indictment charges that Morris Cooper used his position as a purchasing agent at the Directorate of Public Works at Fort Bragg to receive cash and gifts from vendors for him and his wife in return for steering contracts for supplies to those vendors.
The indictment also says Morris Cooper inflated the prices for items under the contracts, increasing the profits to the vendor and the cash payments made to Cooper and his wife.
Cooper received at least $978,279, the indictment says.
If convicted, Morris Cooper would face up to 30 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine on each of the three counts and up to three years supervision following release from jail.
Beverly Cooper would fact up to 15 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine on each of the two counts and up to three years supervision following release from jail.
The case is being investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division with assistance from the FBI.
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