Iraq contractor gets 3 years in child porn case

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press Writer ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A federal judge rejected arguments Friday from a former civilian contractor in Iraq who said his sentence for possessing child pornography should be lighter to more closely align with what military personnel would face. Ira L. Waltrip, who drove a bus in Iraq for Houston-based contractor KBR Inc., was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 41 months in prison. His lawyer argued the term was unfair because Waltrip was doing the same work and taking the same risks in Iraq as would a soldier. He also said military personnel convicted of similar crimes in courts martial typically receive far lighter sentences. But U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said contractors should be treated differently, in part because they receive much higher pay. "He wasn't there because he... [read full story]