WASHINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. army sergeant was convicted Thursday for abusing prisoners with military dogs at theAbu Ghraib prison in Iraq, CNN reported.

    A military jury at Fort Meade, Maryland, found Santos Cardona, 32, guilty of two counts of charges of abuse and dereliction of duty, making him the 11th soldier convicted in the Abu Ghraib scandal.

    The Iraq war veteran now faces up to three and a half years in prison.

    Cardona was accused of making his dog bite one prisoner and harass another to amuse himself and other soldiers already convicted of abuses at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 and early 2004.

    Prosecutors also alleged that Cardona competed with another doghandler to frighten detainees into soiling themselves.

    Before Cardona was found guilty, ten other soldiers, including fellow dog-handler Michael Smith, have been convicted in the Abu Ghraib scandal, in which detainees were abused and photographed inpainful or sexually humiliating positions.

    Smith was convicted in March of maltreatment, conspiracy, dereliction and an indecent act, and was sentenced to 179 days in prison. Enditem