Reports: Army to charge Bergdahl with desertion

The Army will charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, former Taliban prisoner of war, with desertion for leaving his post in Afghanistan, according to reports.

{mosads}Senior Defense officials told NBC on Tuesday that Bergdahl could be referred within a week. Retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer informed Fox News on Monday night of the impending charges.

The Army denied the reports.

“The reporting from Fox News and NBC on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is patently false. To be clear there have been no actions or decisions on the Sgt. Bergdahl investigation,” Army Chief of Public Affairs Maj. Gen. Ronald F. Lewis said in a statement Tuesday.

If found guilty of desertion, Bergdahl could face prison time, or discharge or demotion from the Army, and have to pay back as much as $300,000 accrued in back pay and bonuses. He is currently on active duty.

Bergdahl was held for five years after allegedly abandoning his post in 2009. The administration secured his release in May, after swapping him for five Guantanamo Bay detainees who had been senior Taliban commanders.

The swap was done in secrecy, angering members of Congress who, the Government Accountability Office later said, the administration was mandated by law to notify.

— This story was updated at 2:32 p.m. with a new statement from the Army.