A former Army biologist was sentenced Monday to 51 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bribery at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland, said in a press release that Jason Edmonds, 45, of Northeast, also received three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit about $111,795, which is equal to the amount of bribes he received -a.

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message of intolerance to any public official who would abuse their position of trust for personal financial gain,” U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said in a statement.

According to the press release, Edmonds was working at the Army Chemical Biological Center when he “accepted cash and other financial benefits” from EISCO Inc. owner and CEO John Conigliaro in exchange for favorable action on CB Center contracts. He received the payments from 2012 to 2019.

When federal agents tried to interview the men, Edmonds proposed to them that he had been paid with gold and baseball cards, knowing it to be false. The court found that this constitutes obstruction of justice, strengthening the punishment.

“Fair and free competition is essential to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not wasted and to maintain confidence in our government contracts and programs,” William J. DelBagno, FBI Special Agent in Charge Baltimore, said in a statement. “The FBI and our partners are prepared to root out fraudsters who seek to corrupt and falsely influence the process for their own personal gain.”