A former federal procurement official was sentenced Sept. 22 to three years in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for directing construction work to subcontractors on US General Services Administration projects.
Lennie Lamont Miller Sr., 61, a former GSA procurement officer representative, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official. U.S. District Court Judge Deborah L. Boardman imposed concurrent terms of 36 months.
Court records reviewed by ENR show that the scheme hit projects on the west campus of St. Elizabeths 176 acres in Washington, DC, the former GSA Hospital Center is being redeveloped for the consolidated headquarters of the US Department of Homeland Security. Prosecutors say Miller directed construction companies owned by Christopher Brackins and James Tillman to inflate the estimates that prime contractors included in proposals submitted to the agency.
Although Miller could not make final hiring decisions, his title gave him broad day-to-day authority over the contracts he administered, including reviewing technical submissions, recommending payments, and inspecting work. In his plea agreement, he stipulated that he exercised “substantial influence” over GSA’s decision-making on projects he oversaw. His lawyers later emphasized that he “did not award any contracts and set no policy.”
Inflated estimates came to GSA bids
One of the projects involved installing window film in St. Elizabeths. Tillman estimated his company’s portion of the work at $57,360, even though he could do it “for much less,” according to prosecutors, who say Miller ordered him to inflate the estimate.
The prime contractor incorporated the $57,360 into its proposal, which GSA accepted. Tillman made an estimated $11,872 in profit from the work, while Miller received cash kickbacks and other benefits, according to the government.
The conduct “increased costs to the taxpayer and directly undermined the integrity of GSA’s procurement process,” the agency said in a victim impact statement filed in court.
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A GSA receipt report filed as a government sentencing exhibit names Meltech Corp. Inc. as the prime contractor for repair and remedial work at Atkins Hall. Federal procurement data estimates the work at $866,867 and identifies Meltech as the prime contractor on a separate St. Elizabeths of $634,400 that is described in court documents. Miller’s court records reviewed by ENR do not allege that Meltech participated in or knew about the bribery conspiracy.
Meltech did not respond to ENR’s request for comment by publication deadline.
As for the sinkhole work, prosecutors say Miller paired Tillman’s company with the prime contractor even though Tillman’s company had no previous experience repairing sinkholes.
After Miller certified some of the work as complete, GSA paid the first roughly $276,000, which later paid Tillman’s company $222,500 for its work, according to court records. Two days later, prosecutors say, Tillman paid $8,500 for a sports car that Miller had selected. The government estimated Tillman’s profit on the project at $97,780 and his combined profit from the sinkhole and window film jobs at $109,652.
Separate scheme directed more GSA work
Miller’s other bribery conspiracy involved Brackins, who owned a general construction company identified in court records only as Company A. The Justice Department says Miller paired the company with two prime contractors, identified as Companies B and C, and directed GSA project work to them in exchange for money and other benefits.
Atkins Hall, also known as Building 31, on the west campus of St. Elizabeths was the site of an $866,867 repair and mold repair contract related to construction work described in the federal bribery case.
Photo by S. Price/US Coast Guard
A Brackins-related project involved repairing and repairing molds in Atkins Hall, also known as Building 31, in St. Elizabeths. Court records describe the main contract as worth about $800,000. Federal procurement records put Meltech’s corresponding award at $866,867.
Prosecutors say Brackins prepared an estimate for his company’s portion of the work and Miller ordered him to add a 10 percent contingency before the estimate was incorporated into the prime contractor’s proposal.
A previous project involving Brackins involved repairs to the roof of the Douglas A. Munro Building, the headquarters of the US Coast Guard in St. Louis. Elizabeths. Public court documents identify the prime contractor only as Company B, which ENR has not independently identified.
Prosecutors estimated that Brackins’ company made about $133,000 in profits from GSA work obtained through the scheme, while the court says Brackins provided Miller with about $50,000 in cash and other benefits. These included an $8,000 cash payment in 2018 and $25,000 that Miller directed to Brackins through an intermediary’s air conditioning repair business in 2021.
Together, prosecutors estimated that companies owned by Brackins and Tillman earned about $243,000 in profits from work obtained through Miller. This figure is not a calculation of taxpayer losses. Miller argued in his sentencing memorandum that the affected contracts “came in on budget,” but prosecutors countered that the budgets incorporated inflated estimates from subcontractors that caused GSA to pay more than necessary. Court records reviewed by ENR do not quantify the resulting government overpayment.
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ENR asked GSA whether it was calculating its losses or seeking reimbursement, taking administrative action against contractors, or identifying additional affected projects. GSA’s Office of Inspector General responded on Sept. 24 that the investigation remains open and declined to discuss it further, referring questions to the Justice Department.
Tillman pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official. Brackins pleaded guilty in April 2025 to conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official, wire fraud and unlawful possession of a machine gun. Their sentences are set for October 20 and 22, respectively.
