A former longtime Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) official pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal bribery charge, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Kevin Jones, 48, a former contract oversight specialist with HUD, admitted to giving nonpublic information about HUD contracts to a business owner in exchange for travel, sporting event tickets and cash.

Jones pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and faces up to 15 years in prison.

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The DOJ said federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of 30 to 37 months in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Jones, who began working at HUD in 1999, was able to access "bid, proposal, and source selection information about a number of HUD contracts," the DOJ said.

The bribery charge stemmed from his dealings with Charles Thomas, the owner of a Maryland company that provided technology and educational services.

Between 2010 and 2018, Thomas gave tickets, travel and cash to Jones in exchange for the nonpublic information about the HUD contracts, the DOJ said.

That information allowed Thomas to have an unfair advantage in securing two contracts worth more than $4.5 million, according to the DOJ.

According to the DOJ, the gifts Jones received included more than $17,000 worth of tickets to NFL games, including three Super Bowls; $1,700 in Washington Wizards tickets; more than $3,200 in hotel stays; and more than $3,600 in travel expenses. Jones also received more than $13,000 in cash and checks as well as meals, a camera and a pair of basketball shoes.

Another ex-HUD employee, LaFonda Lewis, also pleaded guilty earlier this year to giving nonpublic information to Thomas in exchange for money and tickets to sporting events, among other things, the DOJ said. Lewis will be sentenced later this month.