2 US troops indicted on bribery charges

[unhappycamper]

2 US troops indicted on bribery charges
By Caryn Rousseau - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 28, 2008 6:46:04 EDT

CHICAGO — Two U.S. military personnel and several contractors allegedly exchanged nearly $100,000 to arrange contracts worth more than $1 million at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, according to bribery and conspiracy indictments unsealed Wednesday.

The two military personnel and a co-conspirator allegedly accepted three payments of $30,000, one payment for each of three Defense Department contracts, according to the indictments unsealed at the U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Charged are Maj. Christopher P. West of Chicago and Sgt. Patrick W. Boyd of Rockledge, Fla., who were arraigned before District Court Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan. Also arraigned Wednesday were contractors Abdul Qudoos Bahkshi and Noor Alam of Afghanistan, along with Tahir Ramin of Pennsylvania and Afghanistan.

The contractors were arrested Monday as they arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. A fourth contractor, Assad John Ramin of Afghanistan, Tahir Ramin’s brother, had not been arrested as of Wednesday. West served with the Illinois National Guard at Bagram and was arrested Monday. Boyd was arrested Tuesday.

Another Ramin brother, Zuhir Ramin, 36, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he doesn’t know about the accusations against his relatives. His brother John was out of the country, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_briberycharges_082708/%2e