2 plead guilty to trying to bribe US Army captain for road-building contract in Afghanistan

2 plead guilty to offering bribe in Afghanistan

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Two men have pleaded guilty to offering a $1 million bribe to a U.S. army officer in Afghanistan for a contract there.

Rohullah Farooqi Lodin, 48, of Irvine, Calif., and Hashmatullah Farooqi, 38, of New York City, are dual citizens of the United States and Afghanistan. Both men admitted Friday during a federal court hearing in Virginia that they offered the bribe to an Army captain if he would help them land an $18 million road-building contract in Afghanistan’s Logar province.

There was no evidence that any army officers accepted a bribe.

The men face up to 15 years in prison when they are sentenced in October.