Military Recruiter Indicted In Language Interpreter Scheme

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A former recruiter of U.S. military language interpreters is accused of recruiting unqualified language interpreters for deployment alongside U.S. combat forces in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012.

WBAL-TV cites a U.S. Department of Justice release that says 34-year-old Abdul Aman of Fairfax, Virginia, was indicted Wednesday on one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and one count of major fraud against the United States. He's charged in the District of Maryland.

The release says he had a close associate take language tests on behalf of candidates he knew couldn't meet minimum language proficiency standards. He worked for a subcontractor on a multimillion-dollar Department of Defense contract, and received financial bonuses based on the number of successful candidates he recruited.

It's unclear whether he has a lawyer.