Ethics Corner

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of articles provided by the Staff Judge Advocate.

This series on ethics presents cautionary examples drawn from the DoD Standards of Conduct Office Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures. If you have questions about ethics or are unsure about a certain course of conduct, contact the NASCC Staff Judge Advocate’s office by calling 361-961-3535.

Today we have a story about what not to do at the NEX:

A scheme to resell military commissary batteries on the black market resulted in charges filed against a veteran and a Department of Defense employee. Investigators discovered that the veteran was bribing the employee to sell him large quantities of batteries from a commissary, which the veteran then resold at a profit to a distributor. During a one-year period, the employee sold the veteran $750,000 worth of batteries, which netted a $20,000 profit on the black market. The veteran kept $11,000 of the proceeds, and kicked back the remaining $9000 to the employee.

The veteran pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of supplementing the salary of a Federal employee, and was sentenced to one year of probation. The employee was charged with bribery and taken to court. It is illegal for individuals to either pay or receive salary supplements for services performed by Government employees related to their Government duties.