Sekouba Konate who served as the president of Guinea pleaded guilty today to smuggling tens of thousands of dollars in cash into the U.S.
He pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria to charges of bulk cash smuggling and making false statements.
Prosecutors say Konate tried to sneak more than $64,000 in cash into the U.S. on a 2013 flight from Ethiopia to Dulles International Airport. Konate had told Customs agents he was carrying less than $10,000 cash.
The 51-year-old Konate is the General Commander of the Security Forces of the African Union, a military force comprising 54 member nations. In 2010, he served as a transitional president of Guinea following a military coup.
He faces up to five years in prison.