U.S. Diplomat Charged in Wife-Beating Case

A U.S. diplomat has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after allegedly beating his wife while they lived in Dakar, Senegal, the Justice Department said Thursday.

The indictment against Michael Makalou, 40, was handed down Wednesday by a grand jury in Virginia. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The Justice Department said Makalou was a political officer at the U.S. embassy in Dakar where he lived with his wife and children.

According to an affidavit filed in the case, an argument erupted between Makalou and his wife on the morning of August 13, 2011.

The Justice Department alleged that "Makalou then began to physically assault his wife, which included choking her, striking her head with closed fists and stomping on her back with his feet.

"As a result of the attack, Makalou's wife suffered a concussion as well as lacerations to her gums, multiple contusions and bruising," it said.

The State Department's Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case.