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DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
A former employee of KBR Inc. (KBR) has been convicted on
federal charges in a bribery and fuel-diversion scheme at Bagram
Airfield in Afghanistan.
Raschad L. "Sean" Lewis was a former fuel-section employee
assigned to Bagram, where KBR, a former Halliburton Co. (HAL)
subsidiary known as Kellogg Brown and Root, had a contract to
provide support services to the U.S. Army. KBR has received
billions of dollars since 2001 to be a major provider of food and
shelter services to U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lewis was found guilty Wednesday of conspiracy, false writing,
bribery of a public official and false claims. He faces a maximum
penalty of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 21.
In a statement, KBR said it "in no way condones or tolerates
illegal or unethical behavior." The company added that it
cooperated with the government and provided requested
information.
In related cases last year, former KBR employees Wallace A. Ward
and James N. Sellman pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, and both
were sentenced to 26 months in prison.
Between May and September 2006, Lewis and other KBR employees
were accused of conspiring to accept payments from drivers, who
were selling their fuel to people outside the airfield, in return
for providing the drivers with documents falsely showing truckloads
of fuel had been delivered to the airfield.
More than 48 truckloads of fuel, valued at more than $800,000,
were diverted for sale outside the airfield between May and
September 2006, prosecutors said.
KBR's shares closed down 1.3% at $18.36.
-By Kathy Shwiff, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5975;
Kathy.Shwiff@dowjones.com