Dana, I am asking you, personally.
Please stop. Who cares how we got there. Americans have died. We have to stay, and we have to do the right thing. Tim > -----Original Message----- > From: Dana [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 1:47 AM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: [politics] wait... this one is better > > > my favorite part: this guy has a public defender > > On 11/17/05, Dana <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Issuing Contracts, Ex-Convict Took Bribes in Iraq, U.S. Says > > > > Sign In to E-Mail This > > Printer-Friendly > > Single-Page > > Reprints > > Save Article > > By JAMES GLANZ > > Published: November 18, 2005 > > A North Carolina man who was charged yesterday with accepting > > kickbacks and bribes as a comptroller and financial officer for the > > American occupation authority in Iraq was hired despite having served > > prison time for felony fraud in the 1990's. > > > > The job gave the man, Robert J. Stein, control over $82 million in > > cash earmarked for Iraqi rebuilding projects. > > > > Along with a web of other conspirators who have not yet been named, > > Mr. Stein and his wife received "bribes, kickbacks and gratuities > > amounting to at least $200,000 per month" to steer lucrative > > construction contracts to companies run by another American, Philip H. > > Bloom, an affidavit outlining the criminal complaint says. Mr. Stein's > > wife, who was not named, has not been charged with wrongdoing in the > > case; Mr. Bloom was charged with a range of crimes on Wednesday. > > > > In the staccato language of the affidavit, filed in Federal District > > Court in the District of Columbia, Mr. Stein, 50, was charged with > > wire fraud, conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen property > > and conspiracy to commit money laundering. > > > > But the list of charges does little justice to the astonishing > > brazenness of the accusations described in the complaint, including a > > wire transfer of a $140,000 bribe, arranged by Mr. Bloom, to buy real > > estate for Mr. Stein in North Carolina. The affidavit also says that > > $65,762.63 was spent to buy cars for Mr. Stein and his wife (he bought > > a Chevrolet; she a Toyota), $44,471 for home improvements and $48,073 > > for jewelry, out of $258,000 sent directly to the Bragg Mutual Federal > > Credit Union into accounts controlled by the Steins. > > > > Mr. Stein's wife even used $7,151.58 of the money for a "towing > > service," the complaint says. Much of this money was intended for > > Iraqi construction projects like building a new police academy in the > > ancient city of Babylon and rehabilitating the library in Karbala, the > > southern city that is among the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims. > > > > After Mr. Stein awarded contracts for this work to Mr. Bloom, who > > eventually received at least $3.5 million himself, according to the > > complaint, the work often was not performed or was done shoddily, the > > prosecutors say. > > > > Mr. Stein was arrested in North Carolina on Monday, the Justice > > Department said in a statement. He appeared in court on Tuesday, > > represented by Jane Pearce, an assistant federal public defender in > > North Carolina's Eastern District, said Elizabeth Luck, a spokeswoman > > for the office. The Eastern District includes Fayetteville, where Mr. > > Stein is listed as a homeowner. > > > > Beyond confirming Mr. Stein's appearance in court, "we do not comment > > on pending litigation in this office," Ms. Luck said, adding that she > > could not say whether Mr. Stein planned to retain a private lawyer. > > > > Little is known about Mr. Stein except that he served in the Army and > > was convicted in federal court in 1996 for "access device fraud," a > > felony. Court papers show he was sentenced to eight months in prison > > and ordered to pay $45,339.25 in restitution. > > > > Mr. Stein's lawyer in that case was Richard B. Glazier, who was > > reached by phone at his home in Fayetteville. He could not recall the > > details of the case but said: "I recall it being a fairly basic case; > > I don't recall there being any substantial publicity with it." > > > > The affidavit yesterday alleges that on Jan. 22, 2004, Mr. Stein > > transferred $200 of money obtained through bribes to the clerk of > > United States District Court in North Carolina's Eastern District. > > > > The payment, the affidavit explains, was an installment on the > > restitution payment that Mr. Stein had been ordered to pay on his > > earlier felony conviction. > > > > Mr. Stein worked for the Grundy Marine Construction Company, based in > > Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in 2001 and 2002, said the company's vice > > president, Pete Caruk, in a telephone interview. Mr. Stein was fired > > when he was found to be falsifying payroll records and making out > > false invoices for nonexistent purchases of materials for a > > construction job at an Air Force base, Mr. Caruk said. > > > > The company later found, Mr. Caruk said, that Mr. Stein had also > > falsified elements of his résumé, like decorations he claimed to have > > won during his military service but had never received. The company > > lost about $1.5 million in the overbilling episode, and presented its > > case to the authorities, Mr. Caruk said, but Mr. Stein has not been > > prosecuted. > > > > "This guy is a thief," Mr. Caruk said. "He's a con artist and a crook." > > > > The Pentagon, which had authority over the Coalition Provisional > > Authority until it was dissolved in June 2004, said yesterday that it > > was receiving numerous press queries on Mr. Stein's background and the > > circumstances of his hiring. A spokesman at the Pentagon said the > > department was working to fulfill the requests. > > > > The charges against Mr. Stein and Mr. Bloom have emerged from a > > sweeping probe of rebuilding contracts by a task force led by Stuart > > W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, > > and including investigators from the criminal investigations division > > of the Internal Revenue Service, the immigration and customs > > enforcement section of the Department of Homeland Security, and the > > State Department's inspector general. > > > > "The reconstruction of Iraq is, and must be, built on a foundation of > > integrity and honest business dealings," said Assistant Attorney > > General Alice S. Fisher in a statement. "The Department of Justice > > will pursue and prosecute anyone who attempts to exploit this vital > > process for their own personal or financial gain." > > > > Mr. Bowen said he hoped the charges would serve as "a deterrent to > > those who may want to abuse the reconstruction effort." > > > > Ronald Dwight, who worked as a legal adviser in the Iraqi > > Transportation Ministry in January and February of 2004, said that > > there was a relatively small handful of comptrollers scattered through > > the occupation offices in major cities in Iraq. > > > > "There was only one comptroller in the C.P.A. headquarters in > > Baghdad," Mr. Dwight said. "They were pretty powerful guys." > > > > He said that while many occupation officials had come to Iraq for > > legitimately patriotic reasons, it was obvious that others had > > different goals. "My impression was that there were a lot of > > unscrupulous people pretending to be patriots there who were trying to > > get contracts for their friends," Mr. Dwight said. > > > > Walter Slocombe, an under secretary of defense in the Clinton > > administration who served as an adviser in Iraq in 2003, said that the > > comptrollers were "people with considerable responsibility, but not > > very far up in the hierarchy." > > > > Although Mr. Slocombe does not recall meeting Mr. Stein, he said that > > he did recall visiting the regional office in Hilla where Mr. Stein > > worked. Amid the privations and heat of Iraq, the office stood out > > vividly for a particularly simple reason, Mr. Slocombe said. "It was > > famous for its soft ice-cream machine," he said. > > > > In the wake of the latest accusations, Mr. Slocombe said, he was > > wondering how the ice-cream machine had been paid for. > > > > > > > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/international/middleeast/18reconstruct.htm l?hp&ex=1132290000&en=6fb39fe30722695e&ei=5094&partner=homepage > > -- > The most common elements are hydrogen and stupidity - Harlan Ellison > -- The most common elements are hydrogen and stupidity - Harlan Ellison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:182890 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
