http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,655191986,00.html
Army opens criminal probes of contractors
50 investigations target fraud linked to Iraq, war on terror
By John Heilprin
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — From high-dollar fraud to conspiracy to bribery and
bid rigging, Army investigators have opened up to 50 criminal probes
involving battlefield contractors in the war in Iraq and the U.S. fight
against terrorism, The Associated Press has learned.
Senior contracting officials, government employees, residents of
other countries and, in some cases, U.S. military personnel have been
implicated in millions of dollars of fraud allegations.
"All of these involve operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Kuwait," Chris Grey, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal
Investigation Command, confirmed Saturday to the AP.
"CID agents will pursue leads and the truth wherever it may take
us," Grey said. "We take this very seriously."
Battlefield contractors have been implicated in allegations of
fraud and abuse since the war in Iraq began in spring 2003. A special
inspector general office that focused solely on reconstruction spending
in Iraq developed cases that led to four criminal convictions.
The problems stem in part from the Pentagon's struggle to get a
handle on the unprecedented number of contractors now helping run the
nation's wars. Contractors are used in battle zones to do nearly
everything but fight. They run cafeterias and laundries for troops, move
supplies, run communication systems and repair weapons systems.
Special agents from the Army's major procurement fraud unit
recently were dispatched to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, where they are
"working closely and sharing information with other law enforcement
agencies in the region," Grey said.
"Given the billions of dollars in contract dollars that have been
and are being spent, it is our experience that our agents will detect
millions of dollars in fraud before we are done," Grey said. "And just
as likely, we will be instrumental in bringing back to the U.S.
government millions of dollars in recoveries."
One case involves an Army chief warrant officer accused of taking
a $50,000 bribe to steer a contract for paper products and plastic
flatware away from a government contractor and to a Kuwaiti company,
according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in federal court at Rock
Island, Ill.
Prosecutors say the officer took the bribe while at Camp Arifjan
in Kuwait, while he was the Army's food service adviser for Iraq,
Afghanistan and Kuwait, according to the indictment. The officer is also
accused of trying to smuggle $40,000 in undeclared cash into the United
States on a December 2005 flight from Kuwait to Dover, Del.
Other cases involve a government officer manipulating a contract
in exchange for large bribes, a contractor making false claims against
the government and an official accepting gratuities. The cases range in
type, seriousness and complexity and involve contractors both inside and
outside the United States.
The Pentagon has viewed outsourcing a wide variety of military
tasks as much more efficient, leaving troops trained in combat to the
business of war.
But the Government Accountability Office reported in December
that the military has been losing millions of dollars because it cannot
monitor industry workers in far-flung locations.
The Defense Department's inability to manage contractors
effectively has hurt military operations and unit morale and cost the
Pentagon money, the GAO said.
Some 60,000 contractors have been supporting the Army in
Southwest Asia, which includes Iraq. That compares with 9,200
contractors in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Commanders are often unsure how many contractors use their bases
and require food, housing and protection, according to the report. One
Army official said the service estimates losing about $43 million each
year on free meals provided to contractors who also get a food allowance.
The new Democratic Congress plans to ramp up oversight of the
billions of dollars being spent in Iraq, including dollars awarded to
contractors. Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee, has said he plans to target contractor abuse.
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