USA: Former FBI agent sentenced to 10 years in Afghan corruption case
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 31 March 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, USA: Former FBI agent sentenced to 10 years in Afghan corruption case, 31 March 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/552f9db455.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 31, 2015
A former FBI agent accused of trying to derail an investigation into alleged corruption by a U.S. defense contractor in Afghanistan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors say the now-retired agent from New York, Robert Lustyik Jr., created a dossier of fabricated interviews in exchange for promised payments in order to make it look like the defense contractor's chief had played a key role in an antiterrorism operation.
Lustyik was convicted of trying to derail a Utah investigation into the company, which was started by former U.S. soldiers and was suspected of paying bribes to win $54 million in bloated government contracts in Afghanistan.
The court ruled that Lustyik tried to block the investigation by telling a Utah-based FBI agent that the defense contractor's chief, former U.S. special forces soldier Michael Taylor, had helped capture an important terrorist suspect.
Taylor was sentenced to two years in the case.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
