Private First Class Lynndie England pled guilty today to seven counts stemming from her actions in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison scandal. She was originally charged with nine counts but the other two were dropped as part of the plea bargain agreement.

England pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to maltreat prisoners, four counts of maltreating prisoners and one count of committing an indecent act. One charge of committing an indecent act was dropped against her as was one count of dereliction of duty.

The 22-year-old England became the focal point of the scandal when photographs of her smiling while sexually humiliating prisoners at Abu Ghraib were made public and broadcast all over the world.

If the judge accepts England's plea agreement as expected, a sentencing hearing will follow. Her sentence would be decided by a jury of officers and enlisted soldiers after a hearing expected to last several days.

The defense is expected to bring up England's history of mental health problems and learning disabilities during the sentencing hearing in an attempt to minimize her sentence. As a result of the plea agreement, the Fort Ashby, West Virginia native faces a maximum sentence of 16 1/2 years in prison.

To date, no high ranking soldier has faced any charges stemming from the damaging scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in which photographs and videos of American soldiers humiliating and abusing Iraqi prisoners surfaced in the media. Almost every soldier who has been tried indicates that they were following orders but thus far, higher ups have avoided responsibility. A recent investigation which cleared all higher ranking military figures in the scandal was described as a 'whitewash' by critics.

It is not certain yet if England would testify on her own behalf at the sentencing hearing. She has recently given birth to a child fathered by another soldier involved in the Abu Ghraib scandal.