11th US soldier convicted for Abu Ghraib crimes

FORT MEADE, Md., June 1 (Reuters) An Army sergeant was found guilty today of assaulting a prisoner with his dog at Abu Ghraib prison, becoming the 11th soldier convicted in the scandal that President George W. Bush called the biggest mistake of the U.S. war in Iraq.

Sgt. Santos Cardona, 32, of Fullerton, California, was convicted on two out of nine counts of abuse and dereliction of duty. He faces up to 3-1/2 years in prison.

Prosecutors had characterized Cardona and other Army personnel on the night shift at Abu Ghraib as ''corrupt cops'' who tormented detainees for their own amusement. Defense attorneys had said they were following a policy condoned by superior officers hungry for intelligence about the Iraq insurgency.

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