Former Siemens Manager Convicted in Attorney General’s Corruption Investigation at UMBC

BALTIMORE, MD (June 27, 2008) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced Scott Allan Wallick, 53, the former general manager of Siemens Building Technologies’ Baltimore office, was convicted of conspiracy to bribe George Alinsod, while Alinsod was the Manager of UMBC Construction Services. Wallick pled guilty before the Honorable John Grason Turnbull, II, in the Baltimore County Circuit Court for his role in the conspiracy. Despite the State’s request for six months of actual jail time, Wallick was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and two years of supervised probation. He must also complete 120 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 fine. Wallick was also ordered not to perform any work as a contractor or subcontractor for the State of Maryland.

Wallick allowed the sales engineers working under his supervision to negotiate five service contracts with Alinsod in which an inflated “miscellaneous” cost to UMBC was built into each service contract price. The “slush fund” created by this over billing scheme, amounting to $83,800 over six years, was then used by the sales engineers to buy Alinsod gifts from lists that he provided, including a riding saddle and accessories, trips, scuba equipment, a plasma TV and other electronic items.

The sales engineers who conspired with Wallick have cooperated with the State investigation and are not charged. Wallick is the seventh person to be convicted in the Attorney General’s investigation. Joseph Shryock was convicted of felony theft; Joseph Cheek and Dennis Roberts were both convicted of bribery; Andrew Reider was convicted of procurement fraud, felony theft, and bribery; and Christopher Keener was convicted of conspiracy to commit felony theft. Patrick Sisk was convicted of bribery and theft and sentenced on June 24.

The case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Criminal Division with the assistance of the Maryland State Police and the University System of Maryland Internal Audit Office. The Attorney General’s investigation is ongoing. Thus far, his office has discovered fraudulent schemes and business practices involving procurement fraud, bribery, conspiracies, over billings to UMBC and other thefts, arising from construction projects, involving numerous contractors. The economic impact of the corruption is in excess of $1 million. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Kate O’Donnell and investigative auditor Harry Schulz for their work on the case.