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June 19, 2008
Former Army colonel received cash, vacation to help firm win contract in Iraq
A retired Army colonel pleaded guilty earlier this month in a federal court for her role in a scheme in which she received cash and a Thailand vacation to help a contractor win a $12 million contract at Camp Victory, Iraq.
By
Josh Cable
Levonda J. Selph of Virginia pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the charges, in 2005, then-Lt. Col. Selph chaired a selection board that presided over an annual $12 million contract to build and operate several Defense Department warehouses in Iraq. Selph admitted that she accepted fraudulent bids from a contracting firm and assisted that firm in winning the contract award.
In return for these actions, Selph accepted a vacation to Thailand and $4,000 in cash, according to the Department of Justice.
Selph has agreed to plead guilty, serve a jail sentence that will be determined by the court, cooperate in the government’s investigation and pay $9,000 restitution to the Defense Department.