A 46-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier was arrested Thursday in Honolulu on federal charges of bribery, theft and money laundering stemming from his alleged role in a scheme to steal jet fuel from a U.S. military fuel depot in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012.

A federal grand jury in Honolulu on Wednesday indicted Sgt. 1st Class Marvin Leon Ware for allegedly taking bribes from an Afghan trucking contractor, and allegedly stealing jet fuel from Forward Operating Base Fenty near Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

He is one of seven individuals charged in an ongoing national investigation of theft of fuel at FOB Fenty.

Ware made his initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Honolulu and pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiring to solicit and accept bribes, one count of bribery, one count of theft and one count of money laundering based on the transfer of $25,000 from Afghanistan to Wahiawa.

If convicted, he faces a maximum five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, 15 years for bribery, 20 years for money laundering and 10 years for theft, and forfeiture of the proceeds from the illegal activity.

Ware, who was deployed to FOB Fenty with Company A of the 25th Infantry Division’s 325th Brigade Support Battalion at Schofield Barracks, was released Thursday on a $50,000 unsecured bond. Trial is scheduled for July 21 before U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi.

"It’s very troubling to discover that critical military supplies were stolen by the very people who are supposed to be protecting and serving our country," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Laura Duffy in a written statement. "That such corruption allegedly occurred in a war zone makes it even worse."

U.S. Attorney for Hawaii Florence Nakakuni said: "Today’s arrest again demonstrates our continued resolve to prosecute all corrupt public officials, at whatever level, wherever their conduct occurs."

Ware served as the truck master while deployed and had oversight of the transport of the jet fuel from FOB Fenty to other military bases in the area.

The indictment alleges Ware, Sgt. Reginald Dixon and Spc. Larry Emmons, conspired to accept and accepted bribes in return for participating in the theft of the fuel from FOB Fenty.

Dixon and Emmons pleaded guilty to bribery charges in June 2012.

The indictment explains the Afghan contractor used 3,000-gallon tanker trucks, dubbed "jingle trucks," for their bright colorful lights and adornments, to deliver jet fuel to FOB Fenty, a fuel depot that supplies surrounding U.S. military bases with JP8 jet fuel.

In December 2011, Ware and the Afghan trucking contractor allegedly devised a scheme to steal the fuel, and Ware allegedly recruited the two other soldiers, who were his subordinates.

Ware told Emmons in January 2012, he and Dixon had already made between $30,000 and $40,000 from the scheme,

The three allegedly agreed to fill and divert the jingle trucks in exchange for $6,000 per truckload of stolen fuel, which they allegedly received.

The three soldiers allegedly filled jingle trucks from 5,000-gallon U.S. military tanker trucks and other vehicles, "at clandestine locations and times least likely to arouse suspicion," the indictment said.

The military tankers had been previously filled with jet fuel from the fuel point at FOB Fenty, the indictment said.

Ware and Emmons allegedly created fraudulent military documents purporting to authorize the transport of the fuel to other locations.

Employees of the Afghan trucking contractor presented the documents at the departure checkpoints.

Ware allegedly tried to transmit and transfer $25,000 in cash, allegedly proceeds from the illegal activities, from FOB Fenty in Afghanistan to a Wahiawa address.

Lt. Col. Will Griffin, spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division, confirmed Ware was assigned there, but said it would be inappropriate to comment further.

"Typically, in situations like this, an individual may be assigned to administrative duties or something of that nature," Griffin said.

The others who were prosecuted in Colorado and Kentucky for a separate scheme to steal fuel from FOB Fenty in 2010 are Sgt. Christopher Weaver, Spc. Stephanie Charboneau, civilian Jonathan Hightower and Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Abdullah.

A federal judge in Kentucky sentenced Abdullah in 2014 to one year in prison for his role in stealing fuel, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky said in a news release.

Abdullah oversaw the delivery of fuel to other military bases and created fraudulent documents purporting to authorize the transport of the fuel to other bases. He pleaded guilty in 2013 to conspiracy to commit bribery.

The remaining three were prosecuted in Colorado.

Hightower, a military contractor who conspired with Abdullah and others, pleaded guilty to similar charges. He cooperated with the government and was sentenced in 2013 to two years in prison.

Weaver pleaded guilty to fuel theft charges, cooperated with the government and was sentenced in 2013 to three years in prison.

Charboneau, who pleaded guilty in 2013, received a seven-year sentence in 2014.