Contractor in Iraq gets 9 years in prison

When are the Army Officers going to be tried?

Mon Jan 29, 5:04 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Defense Department contractor was sentenced on Monday to nine years in prison and ordered to forfeit $3.6 million for his role in a bribery and fraud scheme involving contracts to reconstruct Iraq, U.S. officials said.

U.S. Justice Department officials said Robert Stein, 52, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, also was sentenced to three years of probation after his release from prison.

Stein, the comptroller and funding officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority - South Central Region in 2003 and 2004, pleaded guilty a year ago to various criminal charges, including bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.

He admitted he conspired, along with others, including several U.S. Army officers, to rig bids to steer contracts to a certain contractor.

Stein admitted he and others received more than $1 million in cash, sports cars, a motorcycle, jewelry, computers and others items of value, and that they stole more than $2 million that had been designated for the reconstruction of Iraq.

The officials said Stein has cooperated with the government's investigation. Under the law, he had faced a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

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