Central Wis. soldier pleads guilty in Iraq bribery case

[Barrett808]

Central Wis. soldier pleads guilty in Iraq bribery case
By Carlos Gieseken
For the Wausau Daily Herald

STEVENS POINT -- An Army Reserve officer from Amherst Junction pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of accepting unlawful gratuities and one count of possession of a machine gun in an agreement reached with federal prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The maximum penalties for both counts are 12 years in prison and fines of $500,000. According to the plea agreement, Michael Wheeler could be sentenced to between four and six years in jail.

Wheeler, a lieutenant colonel who served with Army civil affairs in Iraq between 2003 and 2004, was arrested by federal authorities in November 2005. He was accused of stealing $100,000, accepting bribes, laundering money, and possession of and conspiring to embezzle numerous firearms.

He has served as a member of the Stevens Point Fire Department for the past six years and has been on unpaid administrative leave since February, said Fire Chief Mark Barnes.

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