SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Muhammad Z. Aabdin, 30, of New York City, has been charged by complaint with offering a bribe to a public official, Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri, Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office.
The complaint filed against Aabdin alleges that in September 2020, he offered a bribe to a contracting officer with the Veterans Administration (“VA”) in Syracuse. Specifically, Aabdin allegedly offered to share profits with the VA contracting officer in exchange for her awarding VA contracts to him for personal protective equipment (“PPE”).
Aabdin was arraigned today in a hearing held by videoconference before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric and was released pending further proceedings.
The charge filed against Aabdin carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by VA Office of Inspector General, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
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