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A former contracting specialist at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait testified June 19 that he was told steering contracts to certain contractors in exchange for bribes was common practice among contract officers and specialists.

James Momon was one of several witnesses called by federal prosecutors in the trial of a former Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard Allen Evick, 41, of Parsons, and his alleged associate, Crystal Yvette Martin, 48, of Pontiac, Mich. Evick and Martin are charged in a bribery and money-laundering scheme. June 19 was the first day of the trial, which is taking place in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in Elkins.

According to court documents, Evick is charged with receiving more than $170,000 in bribes from two firms that had contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense in Kuwait.

Martin is accused of laundering the bribe money. Martin is a former Army master sergeant who operated a concession to sell clothing at U.S. military bases in Kuwait, a news release from the Department of Justice stated. Prosecutors accuse Martin of arranging transfers of bribe money to the U.S. that eventually went to Evick, his wife and his girlfriend.

The indictment also alleges Evick and former majors James Momon and Christopher Murray "improperly disclosed contracting information to two firms that were seeking contracts from the U.S. military," the news release stated.

During testimony June 19, Momon said the first time he heard about bribes was from a contract specialist who was his sponsor.

"He was telling me all contract specialists and officers engaged in accepting bribes and that it was an opportunity of a lifetime and to take advantage of it," Momon testified.

He also testified he was told there was a military contact and a civilian contractor who were able to facilitate bribes and launder money to the United States. He said large sums of money could be disguised by putting it in bank accounts in the Cayman Islands or to make up bogus companies in the United States. The contract specialists could then pay agents of the fake companies a fee to move the money back to the United States.

Earlier in the first day of the trial, an agent with the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General testified that she and others searched Evick's home in Parsons after they were led to believe there were large sums of money inside. However, on cross-examination, the agent said no money was discovered.

Federal prosecutors allege the firms set up by Evick, Martin and others received almost "$25 million from contracts to deliver bottled water and other commodities to the U.S. military bases in Iraq and Kuwait as well as to paint and clean Department of Defense facilities in Kuwait."