ATLANTA – Anthony Lepore, John Rife, and Brian Domalik, the former President, Regional Vice President, and Division Manager for Rite Way Service, Inc., have been sentenced for conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud for their roles in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar scheme to bribe a public official who was employed with DeKalb County government and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.
“Public corruption, whether it’s corrupt officials who take bribes or the boardroom executives who pay them, is absolutely unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “These sentences should provide a measure of justice to the businesses across the State of Georgia that do business honestly, ethically, and lawfully.”
“This sentencing of three corporate executives brings to close an extensive federal public corruption investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from the GBI. This case makes it very clear to all that those engaged in enticing public officials via bribes, kickbacks or quid pro quos, are subject to investigation and prosecution as well. The FBI asks that anyone with information regarding similar such activities involving public corruption to contact their nearest FBI field office,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: Lepore was the President and CEO of Rite Way Service, Inc., an Alabama-based company that sought to do business with both DeKalb County and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), a state government entity that manages the Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, and other properties. Rife was the Rite Way Regional Vice President who oversaw the company’s Georgia Division, based in Norcross, Georgia. Domalik was the Division Manager in charge of Rite Way’s Georgia Division between 2010 and 2014.
Beginning in the summer of 2005, Lepore, Rife, and former Rite Way Georgia Division Manager Cecil Clark conspired to bribe Patrick Jackson, a public official who was simultaneously working full time as a contracting official for DeKalb County and the GWCCA, in connection with janitorial services contracts with those government entities. The government contracts were worth millions of dollars. The bribes amounted to over $100,000 in payments for Jackson’s rent, utilities, and a garage lease for a luxury apartment over a six-year period in downtown Atlanta, as well as cash payments, over $24,000 in furniture for the apartment, a $5,100 deposit for event space for a party that that Jackson threw, and other benefits. Domalik joined the conspiracy in late 2010, when Clark resigned from Rite Way, and continued the scheme with Lepore and Rife through 2012.
In exchange for the payments and other benefits from Rite Way, Jackson used his position as a public official to help Rite Way win, maintain and increase profits from multi-year janitorial services contracts with DeKalb County and the GWCCA worth millions of dollars.
Patrick Jackson, 55, of Loganville, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2014 on one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and nine counts of honest services fraud. Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, and was sentenced to four years, three months in federal prison, ordered to pay restitution to DeKalb County and GWCCA, and fined $20,000.
Cecil Clark, 55, of Jonesboro, Georgia, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a Criminal Information charging him with conspiracy to commit bribery on May 26, 2015. Ultimately, Clark was sentenced to serve one year, one month in federal prison, ordered to pay restitution to DeKalb County and GWCCA, and fined $20,000.
Anthony Lepore, 64, of Birmingham, Alabama, was sentenced to nine years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. He was fined $115,000, and ordered to pay $165,415 in restitution.
John Rife, 66, of Cumming, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was fined $100,000, and ordered to pay $168,715 in restitution.
Brian Domalik,49, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was sentenced to one year, eight months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. He was fined $25,000, and ordered to pay $45,408 in restitution.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kamal Ghali prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie L. Mickelson and David M. Chaiken previously prosecuted this matter.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.