Former US Army official pleads guilty to bribery over Hawaii defense contracts

Analysis produced by Daniel Okonkwo (AI, He, Him)

A former civilian US Army official has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud over a scheme that corrupted competition for a Pacific technology innovation lab. The case shows the Procurement Collusion Strike Force continuing to pursue contract fraud, and sits alongside a pending trial of two defense contractors scheduled for May 2027. It matters for anyone managing government contracting integrity.

• Carlos Duque pleaded guilty on October 28, 2026 to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud in the District of Hawaii.
• The scheme ran from January 2021 to October 2022 and involved an agreed bribe of approximately $1.25 million over five years, of which Duque received approximately $55,000.
• The US Army paid over $3 million to the company controlled by coconspirators Brian Kent and Leonard Pick.
• Duque faces up to 15 years on the bribery count and agreed to forfeit $55,166.70; sentencing follows under the Sentencing Guidelines.
• Kent and Pick were indicted in May 2026 and are scheduled for trial on May 17, 2027.

Executive summary

A former civilian US Army official, Carlos Duque, pleaded guilty on October 28, 2026 in the US District Court in Honolulu to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud connected to a scheme that corrupted competition for an Army technology innovation lab…

Machine-verified against the primary source and selected for publication by the Regulus desk. Not individually read by an editor. Lead briefings and anything our checks flag always are — how we review.