A Virginia federal judge has dismissed indictments against six recruiters accused of participating in a scheme to defraud the Army by providing unqualified interpreters under a $703 million contract, finding a nine-year delay before indictment had violated their due process rights.
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Sputnik International
Justice Department Indicts Six in Alleged Afghanistan Translator Scam
Cpl. Justin Wilson, a team leader with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, leads the way for a translator, in an urban training facility during a training exercise aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 15, 2009. (Walter D. Marino II/U.S. Marine Corps)
23 Apr 2021
The federal government on Wednesday indicted six former government contractor employees for allegedly recruiting unqualified linguists to deploy with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The six defendants are accused of taking part in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud by recruiting the unqualified linguists, the Justice Department said Thursday. The linguists were supposed to be able to speak Dari and Pashto for the U.S. military, including acting as translators during interactions with Afghan civilians and service members.
By PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 23, 2021 KABUL, Afghanistan Six former employees of a U.S. government contractor have been charged with fraudulently recruiting unqualified linguists to work alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan, putting American forces at greater risk while lining their own pockets, U.S. officials said this week. The former recruiters identified as Mezghan Anwari, Abdul Latifi, Mahjoba Raofi, Laila Anwari, Rafi Anwari and Zarghona Alizai are accused of endangering American troops and military operations in Afghanistan, the Justice Department said in a statement Thursday. The group knowingly recruited linguists who lacked even minimum language proficiency in Dari or Pashto, two of the main languages spoken in Afghanistan, fraudulently making it seem that they were competent so that they would be hired, the statement said.