Former Gartner employee gets jail time
US jails Benjamin Cardona for accepting bribes
By Tim Greene | Network World US | Published: 11:30, 16 December 2009
A former manager at the Gartner research firm was sentenced to four years in prison for steering $3.1 million in multimedia contracts to two outside vendors in return for kickbacks.
Benjamin Cardona also has to forfeit $222,182.13 he collected during the period September 2002 to March 2005 when he accepted the bribes, according to US Attorney Preet Bharara.
Cardona pleaded guilty to commercial bribery, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiring to commit those crimes, Bharara says.
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The conspiracy consisted of Cardona repeatedly hiring multimedia help from two New York-based companies, according to the indictments. Principals behind those companies funneled money to Cardona through a company that ran an adult film website, the indictments say.
One of the conspirators who helped the cash flow through the adult film company, Wilfredo Hernandez, also pleaded guilty in the case and is scheduled for sentencing, Bharara says.
