WASHINGTON, April 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army sergeant pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting more than $1 million in illegal gratuities in 2002 and 2003 while he was deployed in Kuwait.
Ray Scott Chase, 42, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to charges of "accepting illegal gratuities, structuring monetary transactions and making false statements," the Justice Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Chase said he received $1.4 million from private contractors for official acts he performed while serving as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the military dining facilities at Camp Doha and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
He also admitted that upon returning to the United States in 2004 he arranged a series of financial transactions to avoid currency reporting requirements.
Chase could face up to 5 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 6.
