FORMER U.S. NAVY E8 OFFICER SENTENCED FOR ACCEPTING BRIBES IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Former Navy Noncommissioned Officer Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Accepting Bribes While Serving in Afghanistan

A former Navy noncommissioned officer was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for accepting approximately $25,000 in cash bribes from vendors while he served in Afghanistan.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Canova of the Northern District of Florida, Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko, Director Frank Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) Major Procurement Fraud Unit, Special Agent in Charge Robert Craig of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office and Brigadier General Keith M. Givens of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) made the announcement.

Donald P. Bunch, 46, of Pace, Florida, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson of the Northern District of Florida, who also ordered Bunch to pay a $5,000 fine and to forfeit $25,000.  Bunch pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2015, to a one-count information charging him with accepting bribes.

According to the plea agreement, from February 2009 to August 2009, Bunch worked as a U.S. Navy E8 senior chief at the Humanitarian Assistance Yard (HA Yard) at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.  The HA Yard purchased supplies from local Afghan vendors for use as part of the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, which enabled U.S. military commanders to respond to urgent humanitarian relief requirements in Afghanistan, Bunch admitted.

Bunch was responsible for replenishing food and supplies at the HA Yard and for selecting vendors from a pre-determined list to provide the necessary items, according to his plea.  In connection with his guilty plea, Bunch admitted that his predecessor had instructed him to rotate among the vendors.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, certain Afghan vendors offered money for the purpose of influencing their contracts.  Bunch admitted that he accepted a total of approximately $25,000 in bribes from the vendors and as a result, he secured on their behalf more frequent and lucrative contracts.  Bunch sent greeting cards stuffed with proceeds of the bribes to his wife and used the money to pay for the construction of a new home.

The FBI, SIGAR, CID, DCIS and OSI investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Daniel P. Butler of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg of the Northern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

MAN SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN BRIBERY CONSPIRACY RELATED TO U.S. CONTRACTOR IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Former Employee of U.S. Contractor in Afghanistan Sentenced on Bribery and Structuring Conspiracy Charges

A former government contractor employee was sentenced to 46 months in prison today for his role in a bribery scheme involving a federal program in Afghanistan and conspiracy to structure financial transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales of the Eastern District of Texas, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko, Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Class Sr. of the FBI’s Dallas Division and Inspector General Ann Calvaresi Barr of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) made the announcement.

George E. Green, 58, of Carrollton, Texas, who worked at International Relief and Development Inc. (IRD) in Afghanistan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone of the Eastern District of Texas, who also ordered the defendant to forfeit $51,000.

According to his plea agreement, Green served as IRD’s director of contracts, procurement and grants in connection with a cooperative agreement between USAID and IRD to strengthen economic stabilization and promote long-term agricultural development in specific areas of Afghanistan.  Green admitted that in March and April 2012, he solicited and received a $51,000 bribe from a representative of an Afghan company that provided agriculture-related products and that sought subcontracts from IRD.  Between May and August 2012, after he returned to Texas, he attempted to conceal the bribe proceeds by conspiring with others to make cash deposits of less than $10,000 each into his bank and credit card accounts to circumvent the financial institutions’ mandatory cash reporting requirements, he admitted.

SIGAR, the FBI and USAID’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case.  Former Special Trial Attorney Mark H. Dubester and Trial Attorney Michael T. O’Neill of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McClendon of the Eastern District of Texas assisted with the prosecution.

DEFENDANT IN CONSPIRACY TO KILL U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS, PLEADS GUILTY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Yemeni National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Kill U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan

Defendant Received Military-Type Training from al-Qaeda and then Went to Afghanistan with the Taliban to Fight against U.S. Forces

Ali Alvi al-Hamidi, 31, a Yemeni national, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to murder U.S. nationals abroad, conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda and receiving military-type training from al-Qaeda.  The guilty plea took place before U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the Eastern District of New York.  At sentencing, al-Hamidi faces a maximum of life imprisonment.

The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers of the Eastern District of New York and Assistant

Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington, D.C., Field Office.

“Ali Alvi al-Hamidi went to the FATA to join al-Qaeda, received training from the terrorist organization, and later fought alongside the Taliban against coalition forces in Afghanistan,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “With this plea, he will be held accountable for his terrorist activity, including conspiring to kill members of our military.  The highest priority of the National Security Division is countering terrorist threats, and we will continue to use all tools available to bring justice to those who seek to harm American servicemen and women who bravely risk their lives in defense of our nation.”

“Today’s significant guilty plea demonstrates this office’s unwavering commitment to bring to justice those who fight against U.S. forces or assist al-Qaeda and others in their efforts to kill Americans at home or abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Capers.

“As we witnessed today, those who support designated foreign terrorist organizations like al Qaeda and seek to harm people will be held fully accountable under the law,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “On a daily basis, the FBI and its partners face the challenge of an ever evolving threat environment.  Through our partnerships, both international and domestic, the FBI continues to track down those who aid and abet terrorist groups and ensure that they are brought to justice.”

In early 2008, al-Hamidi traveled to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan to join al-Qaeda.  Once there, he received training from al-Qaeda in the use of weapons, explosives and detonators.  During late spring and summer of 2008, al-Hamidi moved on to Afghanistan with Taliban forces for the purpose of fighting members of the U.S. military and coalition forces stationed there.

The defendant also aided Bryant Neal Vinas, a U.S. citizen, in joining al-Qaeda.  Vinas traveled to Pakistan from Long Island, New York, hoping to join al-Qaeda and fight U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.  After participating in al-Qaeda’s military training program, Vinas and senior al-Qaeda external operations leadership devised a plan to conduct an attack on the Long Island Railroad in New York.  Vinas was arrested in 2008 before he could carry out this attack, and pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization.  Vinas is currently incarcerated pending sentence.

Assistant Attorney General Carlin joined U.S. Attorney Capers in extending his grateful appreciation to the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zainab Ahmad, Michael P. Canty and Douglas M. Pravda of the Eastern District of New York, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Josh Parecki of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

U.S. ARMY SERGEANT RECEIVES 24 MONTH SENTENCE FOR ROLE IN BRIBERY SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Army Sergeant Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy in Afghanistan Bribery Scheme

An Army sergeant was sentenced to 24 months in prison today for his role in a conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with supply contracts while serving in Afghanistan.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky, Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko, Director Frank Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s (CID) Major Procurement Fraud Unit, Acting Special Agent in Charge Paul Sternal of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office and Brigadier General Keith M. Givens, Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), made the announcement.

Ramiro Pena Jr., 43, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, previously pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit bribery.  In imposing sentence today, Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell of the Western District of Kentucky also ordered Pena to forfeit $100,000, a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Rolex watch.

From January 2008 through September 2009, Pena worked as a U.S. Army sergeant first class at the Humanitarian Assistance (HA) Yard at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.  In connection with his guilty plea, Pena admitted that he and his supervisor, Army Master Sergeant Jimmy W. Dennis, were responsible for contracting with local vendors to purchase supplies to support humanitarian relief in Afghanistan, and they awarded approximately 217 such contracts totaling roughly $30,760,255.  In return, Pena and Dennis received money and jewelry from some of the vendors.  Specifically, Pena admitted that he received from the vendors, through Dennis, a Rolex watch and $100,000 in total bribe payments.

Pena admitted that he sent approximately $22,000 of the cash to his family in Kentucky, spread among numerous greeting cards to avoid drawing attention to the thickness of any particular envelope.  Pena also used the bribe money to pay his family’s personal expenses both in Afghanistan and in the United States to purchase a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Dennis also previously pleaded guilty in the Western District of Tennessee to conspiracy to launder bribe payments and was sentenced to 41 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $115,000.

This case was investigated by the SIGAR, FBI’s Washington Field Office, CID, DCIS and OSI.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Daniel P. Butler of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nute A. Bonner and Amy Sullivan of the Western District of Kentucky.

FOUR SENTENCED FOR ROLES IN MILITARY FUEL THEFT SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

One Current and Three Former U.S. Army Soldiers Sentenced for Fuel Theft Scheme

One current and three former U.S. Army soldiers were sentenced today in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina, for their involvement in a bribery scheme in Afghanistan that resulted in the theft of fuel valued at more than $10 million.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker of the Eastern District of North Carolina, Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office, Special Agent in Charge John A. Strong of the FBI’s Charlotte Division, Director Frank Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s (Army CID) Major Procurement Fraud Unit and Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.

Each defendant previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery.  U.S. District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle of the Eastern District of North Carolina imposed the following sentences:

Jeffery B. Edmondson, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was the senior enlisted member of the unit who supervised all of his co-conspirators, and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Christopher Ciampa, 33, of Lillington, North Carolina, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Enmanual Lugo, 32, of Ocean Township, New Jersey, was sentenced to four years in prison.

Geoffrey Montague, 39, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was a senior enlisted member of the unit who reported to Edmondson, and was sentenced to five years in prison.

In 2011, Edmondson, Ciampa, Lugo and Montague were U.S. Army soldiers serving with the 3rd Special Forces Group Service Detachment deployed to Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.  During the deployment, the defendants were responsible for managing Transportation Movement Requests (TMRs) for fuel and other items in support of military units in Afghanistan paid for by the U.S. government.

In connection with their guilty pleas, the defendants admitted to submitting fake TMRs for thousands of gallons of fuel that were neither necessary nor used by military units.  The defendants admitted that, in return for cash bribe payments, they awarded all of the TMRs to the same Afghan trucking company, which used the fake TMRs to download fuel from depots on Kandahar Air Field and then sold the fuel on the black market.

The defendants admitted that they sent some of the illicit proceeds to the Unites States via wire transfer or hidden in personal items, and transported cash back to the United States either on their persons or in their luggage.  In addition, Edmondson and Ciampa admitted to using the funds to purchase automobiles.

According to the plea agreements, the scheme caused losses to the United States of over $10 million.

The case was investigated by the DCIS, FBI, Army CID and SIGAR.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Wade Weems of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, on detail from SIGAR, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of the Eastern District of North Carolina.

U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST INDICTED FOR ACCEPTING BRIBES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Former U.S. Army Specialist Indicted for Taking Bribes While Deployed in Afghanistan

A former specialist with the U.S. Army has been indicted for accepting bribes from Afghan truck drivers at Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Gardez, Afghanistan, in exchange for allowing the drivers to take thousands of gallons of fuel from the base for resale on the black market.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore of the Middle District of Georgia made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed today.

Anthony Don Tran, 28, of Stockton, California, was indicted on March 10, 2015, in the Middle District of Georgia for one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and one count of bribery of a public official.  Tran was arrested in Santa Clara, California, on March 11, 2015.

According to allegations in the indictment, from December 2012 to May 2013, Tran conspired with James Norris and Seneca Hampton, both sergeants in Tran’s unit, to solicit and accept cash bribes from local Afghan truck drivers in exchange for permitting the truck drivers to take thousands of gallons of fuel from the base.  The indictment specifically alleges that on Jan. 26, 2013, Tran accepted $20,000 in exchange for permitting an Afghan driver to leave FOB Gardez with nearly 13,000 gallons of fuel purchased by the U.S. government.  

The charges contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Norris and Hampton each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and one count of money laundering on Feb. 11, 2015, and are scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2015.    

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Contract Audit Agency, Investigative Support Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John Keller of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

FORMER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO TAKING BRIBES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Georgia Woman Admits to Taking Bribes for the Award of Government Contracts

A former employee at the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany pleaded guilty today to receiving bribes related to the award of contracts for machine products, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore for the Middle District of Georgia.

Michelle Rodriguez, 32, of Albany, Ga., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands in the Middle District of Georgia to one count of bribery of a public official.

During her guilty plea, Rodriguez, who worked as a supply technician in the Maintenance Center Albany (MCA), admitted to participating in a scheme to award contracts for machine products to companies operated by Thomas J. Cole and Frederick Simon, both of whom pleaded guilty to bribery charges in January 2013.

According to court documents, the MCA is responsible for rebuilding and repairing ground combat and combat support equipment, much of which has been used in military missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world. To accomplish the scheme, Rodriguez would transmit bid solicitations to Simon by fax or email, usually following up with a text message specifying how much the company seeking the contract should bid. Simon, with Cole’s knowledge, would then bid the amount specified by Rodriguez on each order, which was normally higher than fair market value. Rodriguez was paid $75.00 cash per order. Rodriguez admitted during today’s hearing that she awarded Cole and Simon’s companies nearly 1,300 machine product orders, all in exchange for bribes.

Rodriguez also admitted that in 2011, she began routing some orders through a second company, owned by Cole, because the volume of orders MCA placed with the first company was so high. Rodriguez admitted receiving approximately $161,000 in bribes during the nearly two-year scheme. Cole and Simon previously admitted to personally receiving approximately $209,000 and $74,500 in proceeds from the scheme, respectively. Rodriguez, Cole and Simon all conceded that the total loss to the Department of Defense from overcharges associated with the machine product orders placed during the scheme was approximately $907,000.

At sentencing, Rodriguez faces a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. As part of her plea agreement with the United States, Rodriguez agreed to forfeit the bribe proceeds she received from the scheme, as well as to pay full restitution to the Department of Defense. The plea agreement also required her to resign her position at the MCA. Sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2013.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Richard B. Evans and J.P. Cooney of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Alan Dasher of the Middle District of Georgia. The case is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with assistance from the Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office Economic Crime Unit and the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

CONTRACTOR IN AFGHANISTAN TO PAY NEARLY $32 MILLION TO RESOLVE OVERCHARGES

The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:

Tuesday, January 3,
“WASHINGTON – Maersk Line Limited has agreed to pay the government $31.9 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the United States in connection with contracts to transport cargo in shipping containers to support U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Justice Department announced today. The government alleges that Maersk, a wholly-owned American subsidiary of Denmark-based A.P. Moller Maersk, knowingly overcharged the Department of Defense to transport thousands of containers from ports to inland delivery destinations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The government contends that Maersk inflated its invoices in various ways. For example, Maersk allegedly billed in excess of the contractual rate to maintain the operation of refrigerated containers holding perishable cargo at a port in Karachi, Pakistan, and at U.S. military bases in Afghanistan; allegedly billed excessive detention charges (or late fees) by failing to account for cargo transit times and a contractual grace period; allegedly billed for container delivery delays improperly attributed to the U.S. government; allegedly billed for container GPS-tracking and security services that were not provided or only partially provided; and allegedly failed to credit the government for rebates of container storage fees received by Maersk’s subcontractor at a Kuwaiti port.

“Our men and women in uniform overseas deserve the highest level of support provided by fair and honest contractors,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. “As the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to fight procurement fraud demonstrate, those who put profits over the welfare of members of our military will pay a hefty price.”
         
The settlement resolves allegations against Maersk that were filed in San Francisco by Jerry H. Brown II, a former industry insider. The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals called “relators” to bring lawsuits on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the proceeds of a settlement or judgment awarded against a defendant. The relator in this action will receive $3.6 million as his statutory share of the proceeds of this settlement. In 2009, the United States resolved the relator’s allegations against shipping company APL Limited and its parent company for $26.3 million.
         
“Contractors that submit false claims for monies they are not owed cost the government millions of dollars every year,” said Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. “This settlement should send a strong signal that the government is committed to safeguarding taxpayer funds by ensuring that contractors operate ethically and responsibly.”

The settlement with Maersk was the result of a coordinated effort among the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service of the Department of Defense; the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command; and the Defense Contract Audit Agency of the Department of Defense.

“Aggressively investigating any allegation of fraudulent practices, such as those taken by Maersk Line Limited in order to profit at the expense of the safety and welfare of America’s Warfighters – especially those serving in dangerous locations such as Iraq and Afghanistan – as well as the security of the United States, is the Department of Defense Inspector General’s and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s highest priority,” said James Burch, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. “The settlement with Maersk was only made possible through our partnership with the Army Criminal Investigation Command and the hard work by attorneys from the Department of Justice and auditors from the Defense Contract Audit Agency.”

“We are fully committed to tirelessly pursuing all those who knowingly submit false claims with respect to military contracts, particularly while our nation’s finest are at war,” said Major General David Quantock, the Provost Marshal General of the U.S. Army and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. “Our commitment is to ensure taxpayer dollars are not wasted or stolen. During the last 10 years alone, Army CID Special Agents have been instrumental in recovering and returning $2.1 billion dollars to the Treasury and the Army from fraudulent practices involving contractors.”

NATIONAL GUARD MAJOR GETS 60 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR TAKING BRIBES IN AFGHANISTANN

The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:

Thursday, December 22, 2011

"WASHINGTON – A former Major in the U.S. Army National Guard who was deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for receiving bribes from military contractors in exchange for fraudulently verifying the receipt of concrete bunkers and barriers that were never received, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced today.

Christopher P. West, of Chicago, was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2011, by U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.   In addition to his prison term, West was sentenced to two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution to the United States Department of Defense.

West pleaded guilty in June 2009 to a superseding indictment charging him with eight counts of bribery, conspiracy and fraud.   According to court documents, West was deployed to Bagram Airfield from March 2004 until March 2005.   West and Lieutenant Robert Moore had sole responsibility over ordering, receiving and verifying the receipt of bunkers and barriers at Bagram, which, at the time, served as the central receiving point for all bunkers and barriers in Afghanistan.   West and Moore conspired with the bunker and barrier contractors at Bagram to fraudulently inflate the number of bunkers and barriers delivered to Bagram, and to profit in the resulting overpayments made by DOD.

According to court documents, the contractors fraudulently billed the DOD for bunkers and barriers never delivered to Bagram.  West and Moore fraudulently verified on material inspection and receiving reports that the contractors had delivered the inflated number of bunkers and barriers.  As a result, the contractors were able to receive payment for the falsely inflated number of bunkers and barriers.   Upon receiving payment, the contractors paid West and Moore a portion of the money received.

In addition, according to the superseding indictment and other documents filed in this case, West, Moore and co-conspirator Sergeant Patrick Boyd awarded contracts to three different contractors in return for $30,000 each, which the conspirators split among themselves.

West is the eighth defendant sentenced in this investigation.   Ten additional defendants remain to be sentenced, some in the Northern District of Illinois and others in the District of Hawaii.

West’s co-conspirators, Robert Moore and Patrick Boyd, were sentenced to 15 months and 40 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in this criminal activity.   Sergeant Sheryl Ayeni was also sentenced recently to one year in prison for the receipt of $30,000 in return for her official acts as a vendor pay agent at Bagram during 2004 and 2005.   Also arising from this investigation, John Mihalczo was sentenced to 15 months in prison for accepting approximately $115,000 in bribes at Bagram between 2003 and 2004.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Mark W. Pletcher of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section , and investigated by the Army Criminal Investigations Division, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of the Air Force, Office of Special Investigations, with assistance from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.”