Summary

On August 15, 2011, in U.S. District Court, Nashville, Tennessee, James D. Hagar, former Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Operations Specialist, was sentenced to six months incarceration, two years supervised release, ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution (payable to the Federal Highway Administration), and fined $4,000 in connection with his guilty plea to accepting a bribe from a subcontractor in connection with a roadway project receiving federal funds.  

While working on the federally funded contract in his capacity as a TDOT Operations Specialist, Hagar approved the installation of additional impact attenuators (impact reduction devices) by a subcontractor, over and above the original number of devices specified in the initial contract.  In exchange for his approval of $272,000 in additional devices, Hagar solicited and accepted $30,000 in unauthorized payments from the subcontractor. 

This investigation was conducted jointly with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, with assistance provided by the State Attorney General's Office.