Masonry contractor pleads guilty to federal bribery charges in connection with Pennsylvania project

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — The president of a masonry contractor accused of trying to bribe an Amtrak employee for a Pennsylvania repair project pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges.

Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Indiana, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making and presenting a false claim, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

He was charged last month in connection with an alleged bribe as part of a 2015 project to repair and restore the façade at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Snedden’s company was awarded a $58.4 million project to conduct the work. Snedden and three vice presidents of the company were accused of giving gifts and other items, including paid vacations, jewelry, a dog, training for the dog, and more to the Amtrak project manager.

The gifts, federal authorities allege, were to ensure that the project manager “used his power and influence to benefit the contractor during the performance of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.”

The project manager shared internal agency information with Snedden and others within the company and approved additional, more expensive changes to the 30th Street Station project totaling $52 million in additional payments.

Some of the costs under change orders were inflated, authorities said, leading to Amtrak being overbilled by $2 million.

Snedden will be sentenced August 13 and faces a maximum federal prison term of 10 years.