Federal authorities say an Army sergeant has pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy to defraud the government in connection with a scheme to steal more than a million gallons of fuel from the U.S. military for resale in Afghanistan.
The U.S. Department of Justice said 32-year-old Christopher Ciampa of Lillington, North Carolina, entered his plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Sentencing is scheduled for December.
Ciampa was assigned to manage requests for fuel and other items for military units in Afghanistan. Prosecutors say Ciampa and others submitted false requests which were awarded to an Afghan trucking company, costing the U.S. nearly $11 million.
Ciampa admitted that he and his co-conspirators sent some of the money back to the U.S., adding that he hid $180,000 inside stereo equipment shipped back home.
Source: wncn
