KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ A Kansas City woman has admitted her role in a scheme in which she was sexually assaulted in an attempt to increase the settlement in a sexual harassment case against her former employer.

Lindsey D. Crawford pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The 23-year-old acknowledged that she and another woman hired a man to physically assault the two and then sexually assault Crawford in her garage.

Federal prosecutors say the assault happened on Nov. 25, 2008, and afterward Crawford made false reports to law enforcement about the attack.

Officials say Crawford and Julie R. Bernet, of Bucyrus, Kan., were hoping to force a higher settlement against Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City and its parent company, Soave Automotive Group Inc.