PHILADELPHIA — The owner of an Indiana masonry contractor has pleaded guilty to two federal charges in connection with a bribery case involving renovations at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.
Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Ind., on Wednesday (April 30) entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making and presenting a false claim. He will be sentenced on Aug. 13 and faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The Attorney’s Office says that, with the knowledge of Snedden, owner of MARK 1 Restoration, three MARK 1 employees provided an Amtrak employee with items valued at more than $323,000, including a purebred dog and paid vacations [see “Owner of masonry firm charged …,” Trains News Wire, March 31, 2025].
In exchange, the Amtrak employee — previously identified as Ajith Bhaskaran, who died in October 2020 — used his position to provide internal information about the project, and to approve changes to the company’s contract, resulting in more than $2 million in overbilling [see “Contractor on Amtrak Philadelphia station project …,” News Wire, March 6, 2024].
One of the MARK 1 employees, Donald Seefeldt, 65, of Wilmette, Ill., entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery earlier this year. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month and could face penalties including of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Thank you for referring to the station by its correct and historical name!