SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A Puerto Rican U.S. Army reservist has pleaded guilty to bulk cash smuggling and theft of government property while in Afghanistan.
The U.S. Justice Department says Luis Ramon Casellas of the Puerto Rican town of Canovanas pleaded guilty Wednesday before a judge in the U.S. territory.
Casellas was identified as an Army reservist staff sergeant based at Puerto Rico's Fort Buchanan since 2009. He was deployed to Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan in 2013.
He was tasked with breaking down smaller bases in Afghanistan in preparation for the withdrawal of American troops. This included collecting U.S. government property for future use and selling scrap to Afghan contractors.
Authorities say he pleaded guilty to bulk cash smuggling of $113,050, largely by shipping packages from Afghanistan to his wife marked "gifts for family."
