U.S. soldier pleads guilty in Abu Ghraib scandal
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-03 09:30

US Army Spec. Megan Ambuhl has pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty in the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, in a deal with prosecutors sparing her any prison time, the U.S. Army said on Tuesday.

Ambuhl, a 30-year-old reservist from Centerville, Virginia, was reduced in rank to private and ordered to forfeit half a month's pay, said Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon.

She became the third soldier from the Army's 372nd Military Police Company to plead guilty to charges stemming from the abuse at the jail on the outskirts of Baghdad that once was a notorious torture center under deposed President Saddam Hussein.

A fourth soldier from an Army military intelligence unit also has pleaded guilty. Ambuhl was the first of the soldiers who have pleaded guilty not to receive prison time.

Ambuhl entered her plea on Saturday at a summary court-martial in Baghdad to a charge of dereliction of duty, taking responsibility for failing to stop or report abuse of prisoners by other U.S. soldiers, according to the Army and Ambuhl's lawyers.

Under her agreement with prosecutors, they dropped charges of conspiracy, maltreatment of detainees and indecent acts. She had faced up to 7-1/2 years in prison if convicted on the more serious charges.

Another soldier in January informed the U.S. military chain of command in Iraq of physical and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the jail, and a military criminal investigation ensued. The scandal erupted in April when photographs depicting U.S. soldiers taunting and humiliating naked prisoners became public, sparking worldwide condemnation.

The two other soldiers from Ambuhl's unit who previously pleaded guilty were Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick and Spec. Jeremy Sivits.

A U.S. military judge in Baghdad last month sentenced Frederick to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to five charges that included assault, committing an indecent act and dereliction of duty.

In May, Sivits was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to maltreating a detainee, conspiracy to maltreat and dereliction of duty.

Spec. Armin Cruz, a military intelligence soldier, pleaded guilty in September to maltreatment of detainees and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

In addition, PFC. Lynndie England was ordered to stand trial on Jan. 17 on charges of assault, conspiracy to mistreat prisoners, committing indecent acts, disobeying orders and possessing sexually explicit material.

She gained notoriety after photos were released showing her holding a dog's leash attached to a naked Iraqi prisoner.

A U.S. military court in Baghdad last month also ordered two more soldiers, Spec. Charles Graner and Sgt. Javal Davis, to stand trial on charges stemming from the scandal. Graner's trial is due to open on Jan. 7 and Davis's on Feb. 1.

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