Former Employee of U.S. Contractor in Afghanistan Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Structuring Conspiracy

A former employee with International Relief and Development Inc. (IRD) pleaded guilty today to charges of bribery in connection with a federal program and conspiracy to structure financial transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

George E. Green, 57, of Carrollton Texas, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Don D.  Bush of the Eastern District of Texas.  Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone of the Eastern District of Texas.  The parties agreed to a stipulated sentence of 46 months in prison and a forfeiture of $51,000.

In connection with a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and IRD to strengthen economic stabilization and promote long-term agricultural development in specific areas in Afghanistan, Green served as IRD’s director of contracts, procurement and grants.  According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, in March and April 2012, Green 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.  Green also admitted that between May and August 2012, after he returned to Texas, he attempted to conceal the bribe proceeds by conspiring with others to make deposits of less than $10,000 each into his bank and credit card accounts to circumvent the financial institutions’ mandatory cash reporting requirements.

The case is being investigated by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the FBI and the USAID Office of Inspector General.  This case is being prosecuted by Special Trial Attorney Mark H. Dubester and Trial Attorney Michael T. O’Neill of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.