Carlos Duque

Introduction

Carlos Duque, a former civilian U.S. Army official, pleaded guilty on October 28, 2026 to conspiracy, bribery, and major fraud in a scheme that corrupted the competitive process for a U.S. Army technology innovation lab in the Pacific. According to a plea agreement and information filed in the U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Duque conspired from January 2021 to October 2022 with two defense contractors, Brian Kent and Leonard Pick, to accept a bribe of approximately $1.25 million over five years in exchange for steering subcontracts to their company. He ultimately collected about $55,000 of it — and the Army paid more than $3 million to the company at the center of the deal.

Background Information

Duque’s position gave him influence over who won defense work. In return for the promised bribes, he told prime contractors to award subcontracts to Kent and Pick’s company, and he facilitated their fraudulent inflation of government contracting costs to include his bribe payments — meaning the government was effectively billed for the money used to corrupt it. The scheme ran from January 2021 to October 2022. Duque received approximately $55,000 in bribes from his coconspirators, a fraction of the $1.25 million the group had agreed he would collect over five years. His plea covers all three offenses: conspiracy, bribery, and major fraud.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Pleaded guilty. Duque admitted the conduct in a plea agreement and filed information in the U.S. District Court in Honolulu. Conviction by plea is a court-record fact; sentencing had not been announced as of the October 28, 2026 release.

The architecture of the scheme was simple: an official with influence over the competitive process, two contractors positioned to receive the work, and an agreed price — approximately $1.25 million over five years, folded into the government’s own contracting costs. Duque admitted his part when he pleaded guilty. His co-conspirators have not: a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Kent and Pick in May 2026, and their case, United States v. Brian Kent, et al., No. 26-CR-00047-DKW (D. Haw.), is scheduled for trial before Chief United States District Judge Derrick K. Watson of the District of Hawaii on May 17, 2027. As to those two defendants, the release notes that indictments are only allegations and all persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

Public Reaction and Consequences

“Fraud that deprives the U.S. military of free and fair competition for government contracts harms us all,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr. “Because of prosecutions like this, Americans can trust that the Department of War and its warfighters maintain the highest standards of integrity. We expect their contractors to do the same.” “Those who commit fraud on defense contracts don’t just steal from the military or taxpayers; they threaten the public’s confidence in government institutions and hurt our military readiness,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force will detect and prosecute those who, like the defendant, attempt to illegally take advantage of government programs.” “Americans work hard for their money and have every right to expect that their tax dollars will not be diverted through fraudulent schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. Under the plea, Duque faces a maximum of five years in prison on the conspiracy count and 15 years on the bribery count, which also carries possible disqualification from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States, and 10 years on the major fraud count. He also agreed to forfeit $55,166.70.

Current Status

Duque pleaded guilty on October 28, 2026, in Honolulu. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, as well as any restitution to be paid to the Department of War; the release records no sentencing date. The case was investigated with the assistance of the Department of War Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. Kent and Pick remain scheduled for trial on May 17, 2027.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The plea ends Duque’s government career and leaves him facing up to five years in prison on the conspiracy count, fifteen on bribery, and ten on major fraud, along with the forfeiture of $55,166.70 he agreed to pay and restitution to the Department of War still to be set. The bribery count alone carries disqualification from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States. The Army, meanwhile, paid more than $3 million to the company his co-conspirators ran — money the case file says was inflated to conceal his own payments. His co-defendants now head toward a May 2027 trial in Honolulu that will proceed without him.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Justice, “Former Army Official Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, Bribery, and Major Fraud Related to Hawaii Defense Contracts,” October 28, 2026 — source