Keith Johnson, 46, and his wife, Angela Johnson, 44, of Maryville, Tenn., pleaded guilty today to their roles in a $9.7 million procurement fraud scheme. The Johnsons were indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud charges. Keith Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and Angela Johnson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when they are sentenced on Feb. 14, 2014.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Keith Johnson admitted to serving as the program manager for a Department of Defense contractor that operated a central maintenance facility (CMF) in Kabul, Afghanistan, and other facilities in that country to maintain and repair vehicles used by the Afghan National Army. In his position during 2007 to 2008, Keith Johnson was involved in purchasing vehicle parts from vendors.

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) investigation of large-scale corruption in Afghanistan led to the Department of Justice freezing more than $63 million in U.S. government funds, allegedly obtained through fraudulent means, located in bank accounts held in Afghanistan and in correspondent banks in the United States and abroad. The bank accounts are owned by Hikmatullah Shadman, an Afghan trucking contractor, who according to court documents allegedly defrauded the U.S. of more than $77 million by charging inflated prices for trucking contracts to deliver U.S. military supplies. These trucking contracts were allegedly obtained through bribes, kickbacks, and bid-rigging, according to court papers.

"We are determined to use all possible means to recover stolen taxpayer money. I'm proud of my agents, who worked closely with the Department of Justice on this groundbreaking achievement. This hits the criminals where it hurts. SIGAR will stop at nothing to follow this money trail wherever it leads," said Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John F. Sopko.