Jason Edward Steph, 37, a former employee of Willbros Group Inc. subsidiary Willbros International Inc., was indicted in July for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Steph is the second Willbros Group Inc. employee in the past year to have been accused of bribing Nigerian government officials in this alleged scheme.

Steph, who is cooperating with the government's ongoing investigation as part of his plea agreement, is to be sentenced Jan. 25, officials said. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

"Jason is a good man who found himself in a difficult situation. He looks forward to putting this matter behind him," said Edward Matt Hennessy, Steph's attorney.

A spokeswoman for Willbros did not immediately return a call on Monday.

Steph was a Willbros International employee from 1998 to April 2005.

As part of his guilty plea, Steph admitted that in late 2003 he, two consultants working for Willbros International Inc., and certain Nigeria-based employees of a major German engineering and construction company agreed to make a series of corrupt payments totaling more than $6 million.

The payments were made to obtain and retain a gas pipeline construction business from a joint venture controlled by the Nigerian state oil company.

Steph also admitted that in February and March 2005 he, former Willbros International executive Jim Bob Brown, and others arranged for a payment of about $1.8 million in cash to Nigerian government officials as part of the scheme.

Brown pleaded guilty to a similar charge in September 2006 and is to be sentenced in January.