February 21, 2016-A former government contractor employee was sentenced to 46 months in prison today for his role in a bribery scheme involving a federal program in Afghanistan and conspiracy to structure financial transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales of the Eastern District of Texas, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko, Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Class Sr. of the FBI’s Dallas Division and Inspector General Ann Calvaresi Barr of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) made the announcement. George E. Green, 58, of Carrollton, Texas, who worked at International Relief and Development Inc. (IRD) in Afghanistan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone of the Eastern District of Texas, who also ordered the defendant to forfeit $51,000. According to his plea agreement, Green served as IRD’s director of contracts, procurement and grants in connection with a cooperative agreement between USAID and IRD to strengthen economic stabilization and promote long-term agricultural development in specific areas of Afghanistan. Green admitted that in March and April 2012, he 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. Between May and August 2012, after he returned to Texas, he attempted to conceal the bribe proceeds by conspiring with others to make cash deposits of less than $10,000 each into his bank and credit card accounts to circumvent the financial institutions’ mandatory cash reporting requirements, he admitted. SIGAR, the FBI and USAID’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Former Special Trial Attorney Mark H. Dubester and Trial Attorney Michael T. O’Neill of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McClendon of the Eastern District of Texas assisted with the prosecution
