Well, this really isn’t a surprise right? What probably IS a surprise is who is taking them. From the NYT article:

Court documents filed in the case say the Army took action because the company was suspected of paying hundreds of thousands in bribes to Army officers to secure contracts to build, operate and maintain warehouses in Iraq that stored weapons, uniforms, vehicles and other matériel for Iraqi forces in 2004 and 2005.

What really pisses me off, more than the bribes is the fact that the military mofo’s are high-ranked folks..like the major that blew her brains out when the shit hit the fan. Again from the NYT writeup:

One of the officers, Maj. Gloria D. Davis, a contracting official in Kuwait, shot and killed herself in Baghdad in December 2006. Government officials say the suicide occurred a day after she admitted to an Army investigator that she had accepted at least $225,000 in bribes from the company. The United States has begun proceedings to seize Major Davis’s assets, a move her heirs are contesting.

Sweet Jesus..her ‘heirs’ are contesting..guess they don’t mind a lil blood money? And she accepted a considerable amount less than a million. A small time Randy Duke Cunningham as it were. One of the bribe-taking bags of batshit worked under AND closely with Petraeus for the love of God. I should mention that there so far isn’t a link to Petraeus personally, just a fuckwit major or two that worked ‘closely’ with him.

So far, the Major(with the mostest) that is leading in the bribery department is this guy: “Last week, Maj. John Cockerham, a former Army contracting officer in Kuwait, and his wife and his sister were indicted on charges that they accepted up to $9.6 million in bribes for defense contracts in Iraq and Kuwait.”

But when you add up how many of these fuckwits are lining their pockets..its quite a pile o’ cash don’t ya know? But I really do not want you, the reader to go away bummed out at the massive fraud taking place..check out THIS part which warmed the cockles of my lil black heart:

The Army has suspended 22 companies and individuals, at least temporarily, from pursuing government work because of contract fraud investigations in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, an Army spokesman said Thursday. A total of 18 companies and individuals are barred for a definite period from government work. Seven more face debarment.

That..is..fucking..awesome. But the problem is..the companies get..ahem..due process. Unlike our terrorists at Gimo, the companies can drag this shit out for years..and brotha’s and sista’s they do it!

Tags:

Corruption, Military corruption, Reconstruction bribery