Retired U.S. Army Major To Be Sentenced For Accepting Bribes From Contractors Delivering Water To Troops

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A retired U.S. Army major from Moreno Valley was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months for accepting bribes from contractors delivering bottled water to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Derrick L. Shoemake, 50, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles last year to a pair of federal bribery charges by admitting that he accepted $250,000 to help fix contracts to supply bottled water. Shoemake was also ordered to complete two years of supervised release upo0n getting out of federal prison and to pay $181,000 in restitution.

Shoemake was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as a contracting officer's representative in charge of coordinating and accepting delivery of bottled water in support of U.S. troops in Iraq. According to court documents, Shoemake agreed to assist a contractor with his delivery of bottled water.

In return, the contractor paid Shoemake a total of about $215,000, most of which was delivered to his wife in Los Angeles, Justice Department prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Shoemake received an additional $35,000 from a second contractor for his perceived influence over the award of bottled water contracts in Afghanistan.

Shoemake admitted receiving a total of $250,000 from the two government contractors in 2005 and 2006.

Federal officials say the investigation has led to the arrests and convictions of 16 others nationwide for their roles in the schemes at Camp Arifjan.

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