Former City Worker Sentenced to Probation with Home Dentention in Bid-Rigging Scheme

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania
February 11, 2014

PITTSBURGH—A former city of Pittsburgh employee has been sentenced in federal court to three years’ supervised release which consists of six months home detention and a $6,000 fine on her conviction of conspiracy, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Christine Kebr, 57, of 983 Redwood Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, Kebr was an employee of the city of Pittsburgh with responsibility for installing radios and mobile data terminals (MDTs) in city police cars. She conspired with others to create a company, Alpha Outfitters, in order to steer a city contract to Alpha Outfitters for the installation of MDTs in police cars. Alpha received the contract in part by fraudulently representing that the company was a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).

Assistant United States Attorneys Robert S. Cessar and Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Kebr.