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Northern Virginia Contractor Pays $5.2M Abu Ghraib Settlement

By: Marti Johnson // January 9, 2013
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A Virginia defense contractor accused of conspiring to torture detainees at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has reached a settlement in the case, the Associated Press reports.

Defense contractor L-3 Services has paid $5.28 million to 71 former inmates held at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison and other U.S.-run detention sites between 2003 and 2007.

The settlement in the case against L-3 Services, now a subsidiary of Engility Holdings Inc. of Chantilly, Va., marks the first successful effort by lawyers for former prisoners at the detention centers to collect money from a U.S. defense contractor. The former prisoners' lawsuits allege torture, including rape, beatings and guns aimed at the prisoners.

In 2006, L-3 provided more than 6,000 translators in Iraq under a $450 million dollar per year contract. Another contractor, Arlington-based CACI, is expected to go to trial over similar allegations this summer.

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