US - Postal worker union official indicted on bribery charge

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Postal worker union official indicted on bribery charges

An official for the local American Postal Workers Union has been indicted in federal court in Washington on charges of bribing a government official to steer trucking business to his gas station and repair shop.

In exchange for the government contracts, prosecutors said Kevin J. Basil handed the government official fast-food restaurant bags of cash, saying, "That's your apple pie."

Basil, 40, of Brandywine, was indicted last week on a single count of bribery of a public official, a charge that carries a penalty of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Basil could not be reached Friday afternoon.

According to court documents, Basil was a truck driver for the U.S. Postal Service distribution center in Northeast Washington. He also was director of motor vehicle service for the American Postal Workers Union, Local 140, and half-owner of the Shell gas station at 7501 Allentown Road in Fort Washington.

Beginning in February 2008, Basil and another representative of the 2,100-member union met with the USPS's capital region manager of vehicle maintenance. Basil said he was interested in having his repair shop perform maintenance work for USPS.

Basil promised he'd "scratch [the manager's] back" in return, according to the indictment.

Over the next couple of months, Basil and the manager met several times. Basil handed over McDonald's packages containing at least $1,200 and the manager authorized sending 30 USPS trucks to the Allentown Shell for maintenance and repairs.

The shop sent the postal service a bill for $23,944 and the government paid it.

Basil later met the manager outside a McDonald's on Route 1 in College Park.

Basil said "he didn't feel comfortable" because he saw a police car nearby and directed the postal service official to meet him at a different spot in College Park.

There, Basil gave the official a McDonald's apple pie box and asked, "Want apple pie?"

Inside the box was $700 in cash.

After the two split, Basil called the official and told the person not to drive the government vehicle at the next meeting.

A person who answered the phone at the Shell gas station in Fort Washington on Friday said Basil no longer owned the business. His home number is not listed.


Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local ... z0wm6yDmZC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;