Former Employee of U.S. Contractor in Afghanistan Indicted for Bribery

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2014-12-17

A former employee of a U.S. contractor was indicted Tuesday in the Eastern District of Texas for allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for his influence in awarding U.S. government-funded contracts in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney John Malcolm Bales of the Eastern District of Texas.

George E. Green, 57, of Carrollton, Texas, was charged with conspiracy to structure financial transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements, wire fraud and receipt of bribes in connection with a program receiving federal funds.

According to the indictment, Green was the former director of contracts, procurement and grants for International Relief and Development Inc. (IRD), and was part of a cooperative agreement between IRD and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that sought to promote long-term agricultural development in specific areas in Afghanistan.

The indictment alleges that while working for IRD in Afghanistan, Green solicited and received bribes totaling $66,000 from a representative of an Afghan firm that contracted with IRD. Some of those bribe payments were allegedly wired directly to an Italian automobile dealer for Green’s benefit. After returning to Texas, Green allegedly attempted to conceal the bribe proceeds by engaging in a conspiracy to structure cash deposits into his bank and credit card accounts to avoid mandatory cash reporting requirements. Additionally, even after leaving IRD, Green allegedly continued to solicit bribes from the Afghan firm by falsely claiming that he still had the ability to influence the contracting process.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

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