In the last entry of the Cockerham Bribery Conspiracy, we went into the reported suicide of Army Major Gloria D. Davis. Found dead in late 2006, she was said to have participated in a sizable bribery scheme in Iraq and Kuwait. As the Criminal Investigation Command continued its probe off her death, it would find the heart of the operation in short order and a number of arrests will follow.

ARRESTS

The most significant arrest was that of Major John Cockerham in July 2007. After a raid on the major’s residence at Fort Sam Houston, a ledger was found noting $30 million in bribes. As stated in part one, the bribes were a result of directing lucrative contracts to other companies.

Carolyn Blake, Cockerham’s sister was also caught up in the scheme and arrested later that month. She was responsible for assisting Cockerham in racking up over $3 million in bribe money. This part of the investigation only turned up some of the money and the CID believes that the bribe money was run through relatives and associates—perhaps just in case. Cockerham pleads guilty in February 2008 and given 17 ½ years.

Atlanta-native and retired sergeant, Terry Hall was arrested in November 2007 for his role. He owned or was involved with companies that receive favorable contracts from Cockerham’s operation. He would plead guilty in February 2010 and forfeited $80.7 million and a 39-month sentence.

Finally, the heads of Lee Dynamics—George H. Lee, Jr. And Justin W. Lee—were charged with bribing officers. It is believed that Major Gloria D. Davis was one of them. While Justin was eventually arrested, George Lee was still on the run.

REFERENCES
–https://militaryjusticeforall.com/tag/major-gloria-davis/
-http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/obituaries/family-mourns-major-with-st-louis-ties/article_d4cd4e06-b0e3-11e1-ab82-001a4bcf6878.html
-https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/world/middleeast/24contractor.html