Reservist Theresa Jeanne Baker pleads guilty in bribe scheme

A former Army contracting officer in Iraq pleaded guilty Monday to taking thousands of dollars in bribes and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from a defense contractor.

Theresa Jeanne Baker, 45, faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine exceeding $1 million, three times what she got in the bribery scheme from an agent for Raman International Inc.

She will be sentenced in a few months.

The Texas-based defense contractor has pleaded guilty to similar charges.

The company is expected to pay almost $900,000 in restitution and fines as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Raman also will be barred from doing business with the U.S. government for three years, according to the agreement.

Raman’s former agent in Iraq, Elie Samir Chidiac, has been on the run since June, when he failed to show up in federal court in Oklahoma City for his scheduled trial on two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Mother pleaded guilty

Baker, a major in the Army Reserve, spent about 10 months at Camp Victory in Iraq, according to court papers. Her military status was not addressed in Monday’s court hearing, but her attorney referred to her as "Maj. Baker.”

Baker admitted to taking bribes in exchange for steering contracts to Raman and signing off on work that was not completed.

Baker said she received about $370,000 in cash from Chidiac. She sent the money to her mother in Midwest City, which is why the case is filed in federal court here.

Baker’s mother, Jacqueline Fankhauser, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in July to receiving stolen property.

Authorities seized $245,000 in cash from her home in August 2007.