San Diego woman guilty in fraud case

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A San Diego woman has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about her role in a federal bribery scheme involving a military research center, officials said.

Sinthia Nares pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to giving a false statement to agents investigating a bribery scheme at SPAWAR, a multibillion-dollar military facility that gathers intelligence for the Navy, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday.

In March, Nares told investigators she earned $23 a hour when she made substantially more, said court records, which did not disclose her actual wages.

Nares was the alleged mistress of co-defendant Gary Alexander, a former SPAWAR manager who arranged jobs for Nares at companies contracting to work with SPAWAR, prosecutors said.

Earlier this month, Alexander pleaded guilty to fraud for using his influence to get contractors defense work in exchange for cash and other gifts.