Former Department of Energy Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery of a Public Official

BOSTON - A former Security Specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to trying to bribe another DOE employee in order to secure government contracts for a private company.

Edward Doherty, 35, of Washington, D.C. and Weymouth, Mass., pleaded guilty to honest services fraud, payment of illegal gratuities and bribery of a public official. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. In July 2025, Doherty was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Doherty worked for the DOE as Security Specialist until he agreed to participate in the deferred resignation program in February 2025. Just before he started working with the DOE, in November 2024, Doherty started a company in Massachusetts called MAE Systems, LLC (MAE). In February 2025, Doherty offered a DOE employee money in exchange for the DOE employee ensuring that MAE received DOE contracts. The DOE employee reported the incident to law enforcement. Between February and June 2025, Doherty was recorded offering to pay the DOE employee at least $10,000 in exchange for the DOE employee awarding a DOE contract to MAE. In June 2025, Doherty made two downpayments on the bribe, totaling $2,500, to the DOE employee.

The charge of honest services wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of payment of illegal gratuities provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bribery of a public official provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and said Department of Energy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Lewe Sessions made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.