SEVENTH EX-STATE EMPLOYEE SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS IN JAIL IN CURRAN’S CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Lucinda Nasario-Easley, 29, of Cable Hollow Way in Largo, Md. has been sentenced to three years in jail, with all but one year suspended, after being convicted of Bribery and Felony Theft in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County in June. She was also sentenced to three years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay restitution of $10,506 to the state of Maryland. Of the more than $13,000 owed to the state, Nasario-Easley has already paid approximately $3,000 back to the State.

Mrs. Nasario-Easley, a former employee of the Upper Marlboro State Highway Administration maintenance facility, was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Michael Whalen. Nasario-Easley had pled guilty to accepting bribes from Stone Cold Chemical Inc. in return for ordering grossly overpriced janitorial and cleaning supplies from them on her State credit card. In return for her orders, she was sent bribes in the form of gift certificates from ToysRUs, BabiesRUs, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Six Flags Amusement Parks, Sears and Circuit City. Her scheme ran from July 2001 to September 2002. During that time period, she ordered $17,626 worth of items from Stone Cold in return for 15 separate bribes, all of which were sent to her home as per her instructions. One example of Stone Cold’s over pricing involves a bottle of window cleaner, for which Nasario-Easley spent $21 when the identical product can be purchased retail for less than $3.

Mrs. Nasario-Easley also admitted stealing more than $13,000 worth of automobile tires and parts, and three HP ink cartridges, from the maintenance facility where she worked. Using her State credit card, she ordered these items for herself, her husband and her friends.

Stone Cold, a Florida cleaning supply company, as well as its owners and salespeople have been successfully prosecuted in Georgia and Florida State Courts for bribing State employees, and the company has lost its privileges to do business in Maryland by virtue of Attorney General Curran’s Antitrust Division’s petition to the Board of Public Works.

The matter was referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the Legislative Auditor, and was investigated by the AG’s Criminal Investigations Division and the Maryland State Police.

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