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The War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings,
Torture and Big Money |
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August 5th, 2006 - Pa. Soldier
Avoids Prison with Plea in Iraqi Slaying Case |
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Pa. Soldier Avoids Prison
with Plea in Iraqi Slaying Case Associated Press Posted on Sat, Aug. 05, 2006 A Pennsylvania soldier was
demoted but avoided prison after pleading guilty to charges involving the
killing of an Iraqi civilian and the threatening of another, military
officials said. Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr., who
was tried at a court-martial in Baghdad on Tuesday, had been charged with
conspiring with two other soldiers to plant an AK-47 near a slain Iraqi
civilian to make it look like he was an insurgent. Ortiz, 36, of Old Lycoming
Township, faces no other prosecution and could soon be allowed to return
home, according to Army Maj. Josslyn Aberle, chief of media relations for the
Multinational Corps in Iraq. Ortiz had previously been identified as being
from Islip, N.Y. The charges stem from the
Feb. 15 killing of an unarmed Iraqi civilian near Ramadi by Spc. Nathan Lynn,
another Pennsylvania National Guardsman. Lynn, 21, of South
Williamsport, Pa., was cleared of manslaughter and obstruction charges last
month when the military concluded at an Article 32 hearing that he had reason
to think the man had a weapon. Several murder
investigations involving U.S. troops in Iraq have prompted questions about
their behavior and complaints from the Iraqi government about a culture of
impunity among American soldiers. Ortiz also pleaded guilty to
pressing an unloaded gun to a civilian's head on March 8, officials said. The hearing examiner reduced
Ortiz's rank to the grade of specialist, according to a press release from
Sgt. Jeremy Pitcher of the U.S. command press office. Supporters voiced relief
that Ortiz, a member of Company B of the 109th Mechanized Infantry, will not
be imprisoned. Members of his combat team started returning home in June. "That was our goal, to
get them back home," William Lynn, Nathan Lynn's father, told The
Patriot-News of Harrisburg in Saturday's editions. William Lynn, a
Williamsport police captain, testified by phone this week on Ortiz's behalf. © 2006 AP Wire and wire
service sources. All Rights Reserved. External link: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/15207341.htm |