Pa. Contractor Pleads Guilty To Bilking Navy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania contractor who supplied metal for the Navy's Virginia class nuclear attack submarines has pleaded guilty to a major fraud against the U.S. government.
James Bullick and his company, Bristol Alloys, have admitted supplying substandard metal and counterfeit certifications for metal designated as critical to the integrity of the hull of the submarines.
As a result, the prosecutor says, since last year, the navy and contractors around the world have been conducting a massive and expensive effort to locate and, when necessary, replace the metal.
Defense attorney Michael Diamonstein said Bullick accepted responsibility from the beginning, and cooperated with the government.
"These actions are completely out of character for him. He was honorably discharged from the military."
Bullick is scheduled to be sentenced in January.
Reported by KYW Newsradio's Tony Hanson
