On November 2, 2012, the Department of Justice announced that a bail bondsman in Portsmouth, Virginia received 30 months in prison after he bribed public officials to receive what the Justice Department called “favorable treatment.”

The bail bondsman’s name is Ulysses “Tugger” Stephenson.  He was sentenced by Rebecca Beach Smith, a U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia.  He also received three years of supervised release on top of his prison sentence.  

Court documents indicate that Stephenson made money during his time as a bail bondsman after he charged the arrestees a partial amount of the bond ordered by the magistrate.  He was able to increase the amount of clients and increase his profit by bribing Deborah Clark, a Portsmouth magistrate, with cash and gifts.  

Clark referred arrestees to Stephenson and listened to his opinions about the amount of bond to set for certain cases.  From January of 2009 to February of 2012, Clark received $150 per month from Stephenson as well as money for trips, gas, and meals.  It is also believe Stephenson gave an employee of the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office $150 per week for referrals.  

Deborah Clark pleaded guilty to accepting the bribes and received 12 months in prison.  Stephenson pleaded guilty on July 26, 2012 to one count of conspiracy and one count of federal programs bribery.  

Prosecutors were allowed prosecute Stephenson under the federal statute because he bribed two people that were agents of the state or an organization that received more than $10,000 in benefits from federal grants and other assistance.  

The FBI was in charge of the investigation.  Peter Mason and Monique Abrishami, trial attorneys under the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section, U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross were in charge of the prosecution.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation