A Clarksville man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday, June 16, to bribery charges related to the scandal involving former Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson.
In his plea, Amrik Singh Melhi, 51, admitted to paying a Prince George's County police officer to help secretively transport and buy untaxed alcohol for at least three of the liquor stores Melhi owned in the county.
Melhi, who owns a $2.3-million brick mansion on a 3.5-acre lot in Clarksville with his wife, Ravinder Kaur Melhi, agreed to forfeit $975,327 in illegal profits to the federal government.
According to his plea, Melhi purchased untaxed alcohol from the police officer — who has already pleaded guilty to an extortion charge related to the Jack Johnson scandal — and from an undercover FBI agent starting in July 2009. The officer worked part-time for Melhi, providing security at one of his liquor stores. The plea states that Melhi paid the undercover agent $116,505 in cash for the untaxed alcohol.
In the plea, Melhi also admits to giving Johnson and his wife, Leslie Johnson, money, campaign donations and other things of value in exchange for official acts.
For example, Jack Johnson's federal plea states that Melhi tried to bribe Johnson to influence state legislation in a way that would be favorable to Melhi's liquor and restaurant businesses.
During a January 2010 phone conversation, one of thousands intercepted and recorded by federal investigators, Melhi asked Johnson to speak to lawmakers and "tell them the only way you help them is if they support this amendment."
Then, on April 12, Melhi called Johnson to invite him to a fundraiser and was asked by Johnson to "provide $8,000 in campaign donations" to Leslie Johnson, according to Johnson's plea. Melhi, who agreed to raise the money, reminded Johnson to speak with politicians in Annapolis about the liquor bill.
Ravinder Kaur Melhi, 49, also pleaded guilty June 16 to trying to illegally access a protected Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration computer for commercial and personal gain.
According to her plea agreement, Melhi asked a police officer to use his authority to gain unauthorized access to the Maryland MVA database on May 14, 2010, to locate a person who had passed a check without sufficient funds at one of their businesses.
Melhi wanted the information in order to locate people who owed her money and to facilitate the collection of those debts, the plea states.
Amrik Melhi faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and Ravinder Melhi faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. As part of her plea agreement, Ravinder Melhi has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine.
A sentencing for Amrik Melhi is scheduled for Sept. 12. A sentencing hearing for Ravinder Melhi is scheduled for Oct. 11.