Spouse of Former VRE Employee Pleads Guilty to Concealing VRE Bribes

Fredericksburg resident Angela Jannell, the wife of a former Virginia Railway Express (VRE) employee, pleaded guilty in federal court Friday of helping conceal bribes her husband accepted while working for VRE, according to a press release from Eastern District U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride.

Her husband, Kevin Jannell, also of Fredericksburg, pled guilty Sept. 27 to taking more than $200,000 in bribes to ensure a VRE subcontractor would be retained, according to the FBI. 

"Jannell agreed to take up to $4,000 each month in return for giving favorable evaluations that would ensure an individual and this person’s company would be retained as a subcontractor for VRE," said the FBI press release.

When Kevin Jannell is sentenced Jan. 18, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.  Angela Jannell faces a maximum of three years in prison when she is sentenced early in the spring.

VRE has been plagued by problems. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell this fall asked for a review of VRE relating to its governance and management practices. 

In an Oct. 3 letter to Virginia Inspector General Michael Morehart and Auditor of Public Accounts Walter Kucharski, McDonnell listed eight items which focused almost exclusively on VRE's Director of Engineering and Construction Sirel Mouchantaf and his wife, EEOC Officer Jennifer Mouchantaf.