RICHMOND, Va. (CN) - An administrator for Virginia's juvenile correctional system was handed a two-year prison sentence for accepting bribes in exchange for federal contracts.
Connie Richardson, 65, was also ordered on Thursday to pay $158,000 in restitution. Three years of supervised release will follow her prison sentence, according to an FBI press release. She was the juvenile system's runaway coordinator, the government says.
She pleaded guilty in May to accepting more than $30,000 from Christopher Connor, owner of Patriot Protective Services Inc. The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice awarded Patriot a two-year contract for juvenile offender transportation services in October 2010, the FBI says.
Richardson reportedly accepted the bribes from 2010 through February 2015. She also approved fraudulent invoices for Patriot and ceased work orders for a second transportation company, which later closed for lack of business, according to the government.
Connor has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing on Oct. 29.
The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice did not immediately respond to Courthouse News' request for comment.
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