Mass. man working at Department of Energy accused of trying to bribe employee

A security specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy is facing several criminal charges after prosecutors say he attempted to bribe another department employee to secure government contracts for his private company.

Edward Doherty, 34, of Washington, D.C. and Weymouth, is charged with honest services fraud, payment of illegal gratuities and bribery of a public official. He was arrested on July 1 after being charged by criminal complaint, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley’s office said in a statement.

An initial appearance in federal court in Boston for Doherty has not been set.

Doherty worked for the department as a security specialist until he agreed to participate in its deferred resignation program this February. Just before he started working for the department, in November 2024, Doherty started a company called MAE Systems, LLC, according to the statement.

Prosecutors say Doherty, in February 2025, offered another department employee money in exchange for the employee ensuring MAE received department contracts. The employee reported the incident to law enforcement, prosecutors said.

Between February and June 2025, Doherty was recorded agreeing to pay the employee at least $10,000 in exchange for the contract going to his company, prosecutors said. In June, prosecutors say, Doherty made two “down payments” on the bribe, which totaled $2,500.

“Federal contracts are not for sale. Attempting to buy influence in our government is a serious crime, and we will treat it as such,” Foley said in the statement. “Bribery corrodes trust in our public institutions and we will not tolerate efforts to manipulate government contracts for personal enrichment.”

Doherty faces up to 20 years in prison on the charge of honest services wire fraud, up to 15 years in prison on the charge of bribery of a public official and up to two years on the charge of payment of illegal gratuities.