WASHINGTON, DC – Charity Keys, 45, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced to 12 months in prison today for a scheme defrauding the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS). Keys had accepted over $42,500 in kickbacks from a contractor in return for falsifying deliveries of goods that were never received.
U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta also ordered Keys to 36 months of supervised release, with the initial six months on home confinement. Keys is required to pay restitution totaling $257,680, a forfeiture money judgment of $42,500, and complete 100 hours of community service. Her co-defendant, Louis “Joey” Mitchell, III, was sentenced to 34 months in prison on September 16, 2022.
Keys, formerly a supply management specialist with FEMS, pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges on July 18, 2022. Her duties included procuring supplies for the department. Court documents indicate that between 2016 and 2020, Keys and Mitchell solicited and received bribes from an approved vendor contractor on at least seven occasions. In return, they directed purchase orders to the contractor’s company and falsely confirmed deliveries of goods. FEMS incurred approximately $250,000 in losses due to payments for goods never delivered. Keys personally collected at least $42,500 in bribes from the contractor.
The case came to light after FEMS officials noticed procurement irregularities and referred the case to the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Mitchell and Keys were arrested on February 10, 2022.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and D.C. Office of Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Christopher R. Howland.