Retired Army Officer Admits to Helping Fix Iraq Contract

Levonda J. Selph, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, pleaded guilty Tuesday to steering a Pentagon contract for warehouses in Iraq to a Kuwait-based firm in return for a $5000 trip to Thailand and $4000 cash.

Selph pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery in U.S. District Court as part of a plea bargain to cooperate with the government in an investigation. The Virginia resident was secretly indicted on those charges in October -- the charges weren't revealed until her day in court Tuesday. She also agreed to serve a prison sentence --up to 33 months -- and pay the government $9000 restitution.

Prosecutors said Selph headed a selection board in 2005 that awarded a $12 million contract to build and operate Defense Department warehouses in Iraq. The contrat winner was not named in court documents.

The Justice Department said she will remain free until her sentencing October 14. She is not allowed to leave the country.

Source: Ex-colonel pleads to helping fix Iraq contract [AP]

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