Ex-federal worker avoids prison in bribery scheme with Hauppauge computer firm 

A former Department of Energy procurement officer will avoid prison time after admitting she accepted nearly $19,000 in bribes from a Hauppauge computer equipment distributor in exchange for awarding the company more than $900,000 in government contracts.

Jami Anthony, 47, of Hayes, Virginia, who previously worked as a Small Business Administration program liaison for a federal laboratory in Virginia, was sentenced Monday to 2 years probation by U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert in federal court in Central Islip. The sentence was in line with a recommendation from the U.S. Probation Office.

Seybert said she considered a 60-day prison sentence for Anthony, who she believed was unlikely to commit any additional crimes, but ultimately agreed with the probation office recommendation.

“What’s the purpose of that at the end of the day?" Seybert asked from the bench. “Especially when I got a probation recommendation of no jail time, 2 years probation. Hopefully, that will send a sufficient message.”

Anthony had faced up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in June to accepting a bribe from M.S. Hi-Tech owner Michael Montenes. In May, Montenes pleaded guilty to bribing Anthony and is awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors had sought a guideline sentence of between 2 and 3 years in prison for Anthony. 

“A large part of today’s sentencing is as a deterrent, to let individuals know that if they are trusted with this sort of responsibility and they are tempted to go against their oath that there will be severe consequences for doing so,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley King said before sentencing.

Robert Jenkins Jr., Anthony's Virginia-based defense attorney, said his client is receiving alcohol treatment and also has other health issues. Anthony's family has been left “financially devastated” as a result of her arrest and medical bills, Jenkins said.

He had sought probation for his client, who he said benefited far less financially than her co-defendant.

“Ms. Anthony certainly played a role in this offense and by no question it could not have been accomplished without her participation,” Jenkins said. “She was the employee, but she was enticed into this scheme by her co-defendant, who certainly received the lion’s share of the financial benefit.”

From December 2017 through December 2020, Montenes made four payments between $500 and $7,200 to Anthony totaling $18,800, prosecutors said.

In exchange, authorities said, Anthony awarded the Hauppauge company more than $900,000 in contracts for electronic components that MSHT supplied to the Department of Energy's Virginia laboratory. Those contracts represented 95% of all of MSHT’s sales to the laboratory, officials said.

Nearly two years ago, some of the electronic components that Anthony purchased from MSHT, which prosecutors said were counterfeit, sparked a fire, leading to about $1.8 million in repairs and other costs to the department. The bid-rigging scheme was uncovered as officials investigated the fire, prosecutors said.

Jenkins said Anthony “had no way of knowing” the parts were counterfeit and would lead to the fire.

King said a series of text messages between Anthony and Montenes showed that she was “sophisticated in understanding how the game was played.”

Court records show that Anthony would text Montenes the lowest bid submitted by other companies so he could undercut them and be awarded certain contracts. She also occasionally instructed him to intentionally lose certain bids to avoid detection, the messages show.

Anthony, who declined to speak at Monday’s sentencing, agreed to forfeit approximately $18,800 as part of the plea agreement, which she has already done, Jenkins said.

In May, Montenes pleaded guilty to bribing Anthony, agreeing to forfeit approximately $969,000 and to pay the department more than $1.8 million in restitution for the fire repairs. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 12, officials said.

Montenes founded M.S. Hi-Tech in 1990, according to the company’s website. The business was honored in 2013 by the U.S. Small Business Administration as its subcontractor of the year after officials at Brookhaven National Laboratory nominated Montenes for the award, according to news reports at the time.

M.S. Hi-Tech’s clients have included 3M, Fuji Electronics and Samsung, according to its website. It deals primarily in electronic circuit components and memory chips.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.