WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Army Corps of Engineers employees and two other men charged in a $20 million bribery and kickback scheme will remain in jail.
The four men appeared in federal court Thursday for a detention hearing. A lawyer for one man waived his right to a hearing, but the other defendants urged a magistrate to release them before trial.
That request was denied after prosecutors argued the defendants presented a flight risk and have substantial assets that could help them flee.
The men are accused in a scheme to steer government contracts to a subcontractor in exchange for kickbacks that prosecutors say paid for sports cars, real estate, fancy watches and clothing. They were arrested Tuesday as prosecutors unsealed an indictment that included charges of bribery, conspiracy and unlawful kickbacks.