Two ex-US Army soldiers laundered Afghanistan bribes

Memphis, US: Two former US Army soldiers have pleaded guilty to accepting about USD 250,000 in bribes from contractors in Afghanistan and shipping the cash back to the United States to be laundered through a landscaping business.
Jimmy W Dennis, 44, and 45-year-old James C Pittman told judges during separate hearings that they took the money in exchange for steering work to favored Afghan contractors. They face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced in September.
The guilty pleas are the latest cases to arise from bribery allegations involving US soldiers in Afghanistan. At least six other soldiers have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison.
Dennis was assigned to the Humanitarian Aid Yard at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan from March 2008 through March 2009. He said he mailed packages of USD 80,000 to USD 100,000 in toy trucks and a chest to a family member in the US. It was then sent to Pittman, a one-time Army friend who laundered it through his landscaping company.