Ashland defense contractor gets probation for conspiracy

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon defense contractor who bribed a government official to secure $171 million in contracts over a decade has been sentenced to a year on probation and fined $5,000.

The 75-year-old contractor, who goes by the singular name Sky, sat quietly in a wheelchair at his sentencing Friday in Portland. Defense attorney Michael Levine said Sky suffered a massive stroke shortly after pleading guilty to conspiracy in April 2016.

Sky’s Ashland-based firm specializes in aerial surveys of old military bombing and gunnery ranges to find weapons debris. Court documents say a program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rigged bids on nine contracts. In exchange, Sky provided him with cash, entertainment, trips and other perks.

The program manager, Jerry Hodgson, was previously sentenced to probation.