A Randallstown man pleaded guilty Monday to paying about $20,000 in bribes to a public employee in an attempt to steer state contracts to his company, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

Mark Anthony Sykes, 51, was charged for making illegal payments to the former director of general services for the Maryland Department of Labor. Between July 2020 and March 2021, Sykes’ company, Building Enterprises LLC, received more than $174,000 from the state for cleaning services at COVID-related facilities, according to the attorney general’s office.

Sykes’ attorney, Kurt Nachtman, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Court documents say Sykes made illegal payments to the former Department of Labor official in 2020 and 2021. According to the press release, an investigation found that Sykes paid about $20,000 in bribes to be awarded the state contracts.

As of Monday morning, no charges were filed against the former state official. The Maryland Department of Labor declined to comment.

Sykes is scheduled to appear before a judge in Circuit Court for Baltimore County for sentencing on April 29.

The attorney general’s office said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Baltimore Banner reporter Justin Fenton contributed to this report.