Army researcher pleads guilty to fraud
A Raleigh man who managed research projects for the Army pleaded guilty Thursday to steering federal contracts to his wife's business, authorities said.
Posted — UpdatedDwight Woolard pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the government. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in January.
Woolard worked at the Army Research Office in Durham as a program manager from September 1998 until late last year. He controlled numerous government contracts and grants, and prosecutors said he steered various subcontracts for data entry, website development and conference planning to his wife's company, Qtronika.
His wife or her company received $842,403 in government-funded projects, authorities said. As part of his plea agreement, Woolard agreed to repay that amount to the Department of Defense.
"For almost a decade, Dwight Woolard abused the Army’s trust and stole monies designated for researching and developing innovative ways to protect and defend American military personnel in battle," U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker said in a statement.
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