A former CEO guilty of paying off a powerful Maryland state senator was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison Monday.
Before his punishment came down, W. David Stoffregen, the former chief executive officer of Poole and Kent, begged U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz for “another chance.”
“I am humbled and disgraced,” said Stoffregen, 54, of Towson, who pleaded guilty a year ago to paying off former state Sen. Thomas Bromwell to win contracts for his business. “… Some days I wish I didn?t wake up because I?m so ashamed.”
Motz characterized Stoffregen as the man “who bought the senator” for Poole and Kent.
“The person who did the buying is no more responsible than the person who was bought,” Motz said, before ordering Stoffregen to forfeit up to $5.6 million in cash, vehicles and property.
A powerful Baltimore County Democrat, Bromwell, 58, was sentenced earlier this month to serve seven years in prison.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stoffregen provided various benefits to Bromwell in exchange for the senator?s influence.
Stoffregen provided — free of charge — more than $85,000 of work on a new house the senator built in Parkville.
He also told Bromwell in 2000 that he would pay him about $80,000 annually to remain in his senate office rather than leave to work in the private sector.
Between 2001 and 2003, Stoffregen paid the senator a total of $192,923 disguised as salary payments to the senator?s wife, Mary Patricia, for a no-show job.
Motz sentenced Mary Patricia Bromwell, 44, to one year and one day in prison earlier this month.
In return for Stoffregen?s favors, Bromwell helped Stoffregen win contracts to perform work on the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center and University of Maryland Medical System?s Weinberg Building in downtown Baltimore, among other deals.
In an unrelated scheme, Stoffregen also defrauded Poole and Kent of more than $628,000 through the use of the expense report and invoicing fraud schemes, prosecutors said.
“His crimes are worse than Senator Bromwell?s,” said prosecutor Michael Leotta.
Also on Monday, another defendant in the Bromwell case was sentenced.
Motz ordered James Eick, 50, of Perry Hall, to six months of home detention for mail fraud in connection with kickbacks on construction projects at a downtown Baltimore office building.
Five others involved in the case who have pleaded guilty are awaiting sentencing.
