U.S. Attorneys in West Virginia are monitoring the progress of the criminal case against Paul Pendergast in Maryland federal court and may bring changes against him in West Virginia as well. For five years, Paul Pendergast was in change of the West Virginia Capitol asbestos abatement program, and he has confessed to corruption while he was in this role. Predergast accepted kickbacks from an asbestos removal firm and manipulated the bidding process to favor the same firm. Predergast pleaded guilty in Maryland court and faces up to five years in prison in the Maryland case. See related story. He has also agreed to testify against the asbestos abatement firm. The scandal has extended to Predergast successor Gary Bryant Jr., who was fired for taking unauthorized overtime pay and structuring jobs to avoid competitive bidding.
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