Former KBR worker pleads guilty to sex crime

HOUSTON Oct 16 (Reuters) - A former employee of military contractor KBR Inc (KBR.N) pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at an airbase in Iraq, federal prosecutors said on Friday.

David Charles Breda Jr. pleaded guilty to one count in a criminal information before U.S. District Judge Gray Miller in federal court in Houston. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

His sentencing is set for Jan. 15, prosecutors said in a statement.

Breda assaulted a woman at Camp Al Asad while working as a civilian defense contractor for a subsidiary of Houston-based KBR, according to the criminal information.

He no longer works for KBR, which has said it does not tolerate unlawful behavior by its employees.

Breda's guilty plea follows the high-profile case of Jamie Leigh Jones, who has sued KBR and former parent Halliburton Co (HAL.N), alleging she was drugged and raped by fellow KBR employees in 2005 and accusing the companies of tolerating abusive behavior. No criminal charges have been filed in her case. (Reporting by Anna Driver in Houston; Editing by Gary Hill)