Fraudsters Pay Fine, No Bribery Charges

Contractors working for a large computer services company bribed school board employees to win a competitive bid contract. The employees received no legal punishment, the computer company simply paid a fine.

... contractors were said to have bribed school district officials to get deals under the government’s E-rate program that helps wire up schools and libararies with Internet links.

... contractors took school officials on boating trips and even gave them tickets to the Super Bowl in 2004 in exchange for help winning the contracts.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the settlement shows how hard the government is working to stop fraud and waste in the E-rate program.

What about bribery charges against the employees?