Ex-CIA official pleads guilty in contracts case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former third-ranking official at the CIA pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud charges related to accusations he improperly steered agency contracts to his best friend, the Justice Department said.

The CIA's former executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, admitted steering contracts to friend Brent Wilkes, who already is serving a 12-year sentence for bribing former Republican Congressman Randall "Duke" Cunningham, the department said.

It said Wilkes, a one-time Republican fundraiser, had made Foggo a standing offer of a high-paying job, and the two hid their relationship from the CIA and used shell companies to conceal Wilkes's interest in the CIA contracts.

The indictment against Foggo said that while they were working on a water-supply contract Wilkes treated Foggo and his family to a Scotland vacation that included $12,000 in private jet flights, $4,000 for a helicopter ride to a round of golf, and $44,000 for an estate stay that included trout and salmon fishing, archery and clay pigeon shooting.

Foggo and Wilkes later took a $32,000 vacation to Haleiwa, Hawaii, it said.

Foggo faces a 20-year sentence after his guilty plea to one count of defrauding the United States of his honest services, the department said.

(Reporting by Randall Mikkelsen; Editing by Doina Chiacu)