A former civilian U.S. Army official has admitted to taking bribes tied to a Hawaii defense innovation project.
On October 28, 2026, he pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud against the United States. The Justice Department says he personally received about $55,000.
The Record
The case is United States v. Brian Kent, et al., No. 26-CR-00047-DKW. Two defense contractors, Leonard Pick of Palm Beach Shores, Florida, and Brian Kent of Tampa, Florida, were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2026. The official, Carlos Duque, was charged separately and has now pleaded guilty.
According to the Justice Department, the bribes agreed to by Duque and the two contractors totaled about $1.25 million over five years. The conspiracy period runs from January 2021 to October 2022. The Army paid the contractors’ company more than $3 million. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported the bribes were paid to steer contracts and subcontracts to a company tied to the Hawaii-Pacific Innovation Campus.
The Receipts
Duque agreed to forfeit $55,166.70, the amount prosecutors say he personally received. He faces up to 5 years in prison for conspiracy, up to 15 years for bribery and up to 10 years for major fraud. The judge will set any sentence and will decide restitution. No sentencing date was stated in the Justice Department release.
The Legitimacy Gap
The public is told that defense dollars go to the best bid. A public official who takes cash to point work at one company turns that process into a sales channel. The taxpayer is the one billed: the Army paid more than $3 million to the company at the center of the case.
The Verdict
One guilty plea is on the record. Pick and Kent have pleaded not guilty and are presumed innocent. Their trial is set for May 17, 2027, before Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson. Those are allegations until a jury says otherwise.
Your Verdict
When a public official sells a signature, who pays? Tell us your verdict.
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