Three Indicted in Bribery Scheme Related to U.S. Military Contracts in Alaska

Fairbanks, Alaska – Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson announced that Ryan Dalbec, 42, Raihana Nadem, a/k/a/ Raihana Dalbec, 27, of Virginia, and Brian Lowell Nash II, 30, of Washington, have been charged in a 26 count indictment with conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering involving millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. military contracts in Alaska.    

According to the indictment, Ryan and Raihana Dalbec owned and managed Best Choice Construction, LLC (Best Choice), a federal government contractor that provided construction and other services. Through Best Choice, the Dalbecs bid on and were awarded multiple U.S. military construction contracts throughout Alaska. 

From March through November 2019, Ryan and Raihana Dalbec allegedly paid and promised Nash, an enlisted Contract Specialist in the U.S. Air Force assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), over $460,000 in bribes. In exchange, Nash allegedly supplied the Dalbecs with confidential, non-public bidding information that helped Best Choice win numerous Alaska military contracts, including a construction contract related to the F-35 aircraft program at Eielson Air Force Base and contracts to perform construction and related services at JBER. The indictment also alleges the defendants committed multiple overt acts in furtherance of the bribery conspiracy.  Additionally, between March and October 2019, the Dalbecs and Nash are alleged to have laundered payments and proceeds from the bribery scheme to conceal their unlawful activities.  

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for the most serious charges in the indictment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.