Indictment Unsealed Charging Former Tinker Official with Accepting Bribes

OKLAHOMA CITY—James Lee Loman, 70, of McLoud, Oklahoma, a former item manager at Tinker Air Force Base, was arrested today on charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud, accepting bribes, and participating in government contracting under an illegal conflict of interest, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. A federal grand jury returned the sealed indictment against Loman on November 7, 2012. The indictment was unsealed today when Loman appeared in federal court.

According to the indictment, Loman’s responsibilities involved purchasing replacement parts for military aircraft, in particular those that use Boeing 707 airframes. The indictment alleges that from approximately 2002 to 2006, Loman accepted large cash payments from an individual associated with Daytona Aerospace Inc. of Deerfield Beach, Florida, in exchange for favorable treatment in the Air Force’s purchasing of Boeing 707 replacement parts. According to the indictment, Loman drove to Florida to pick up the cash on multiple occasions and deposited some of it into an Oklahoma bank account in amounts of less than $10,000 to avoid detection. The charges also explain that Loman sent faxes to the individual in Florida, some of which calculated his bribe payments based on a percentage of aircraft sales to the Air Force and some of which kept track of the amount of bribes due and the amount already paid to him. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $838,200 as the proceeds that Loman obtained from the bribery scheme.

Loman is charged in three counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, accepting bribes in connection with his status as a federal official, and being involved in federal contracting while under a personal conflict of interest. The conspiracy count carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The bribery count carries a potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or three times the amount of the bribes. The conflict-of-interest count carries a potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

These charges are the result of an investigation by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott E. Williams.

The public is reminded that the indictment is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Reference is made to the indictment and other public filings for further information.