A former chief information officer was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for demanding bribes from two New Jersey-based IT staffing firms — which amounted to nearly $1 million — in exchange for help setting up staffing contracts, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey reported.
Mark Berger, 59, of Roslyn, New York, had served as CIO of SWBC, a financial services company based in Texas, from January 2011 through March 2013, according to the office. Berger entered into contracts between SWBC and two New Jersey staffing firms, including DaVinci Technology Corp., for IT and staffing services.
However, Berger demanded the owner of the companies, Anthony Curlo, of Chester, New Jersey, pay him a percentage of the monies that would be received from SWBC, according to the office.
The staffing companies generated $3 million in revenue from SWBC and were supposed to pay Berger $1.14 million in kickback payments, according to the office. Berger actually received $985,000 in cash payments, which were delivered to his home.
Berger had pleaded guilty [1] in July 2018. Curlo previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on Sept. 21, 2016, and is awaiting sentencing, according to the office.