Ex-Coast Guard employee pleads guilty in test-fixing case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a former U.S. Coast Guard employee has pleaded guilty in a test score-fixing scheme that happened over seven years at an exam center in Louisiana. U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans said in a news release Tuesday that Eldridge Johnson entered the plea June 23 to one count each of bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Evans’ office says Johnson faces up to 15 years for the bribery charge, five years for the conspiracy charge and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for Sept. 29. Two others have pleaded guilty in the case and are scheduled for sentencing.