Judge: Scam at SOCom 'scary'

[DoYouEverWonder]

January 26, 2006

TAMPA - Before sentencing William Burke on federal bribery charges Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew called his offense scary.

As a former private contractor at Special Operations Command, Burke was no ordinary worker, she noted. He was part of a military unit in charge of national security.

During the 30-minute hearing, Bucklew also hailed Burke, a retired Army lieutenant colonel. "This is a bad thing," she acknowledged, "but he certainly has a past he can be proud of."

That past, and his cooperation with investigators looking into a bribery scam at SOCom, helped Burke get a lighter sentence.

Although he faced a maximum of 15 years in prison, Bucklew sentenced him to three years of supervised probation and six months of home detention. She also ordered him to pay a $4,500 fine and $100 in court fees.

<snip>

The bribery scandal at SOCom, which oversees the nation's elite commandos, became public in October, after Burke struck a deal with prosecutors and agreed to cooperate with investigators. He also pleaded guilty to bribery.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/26/Hillsborough/Judge__Scam_at_SOCom_.shtml

[MADem]

1. Whaddaya wanna bet the guy is a registered republican?

That's business as usual, for them...

[LostinVA]

2. I ain't taking that bet....

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Funny how this scandal is hardly making a blip on the radar

So far it seems the St. Pete Times is the only newspaper that is even interested in this one.

[Rose Siding]

4. No jail time, so "scary", but not Martha Stewart scary

By the time tax dollars get the the DoD, no one seems to remember who's getting ripped off.

[donkeyotay]

5. Sooner or later America is going to have to pull its head out of the sands

of terra, terra, terra, and deal with the issue of corruption in our national security industry and its influence on politics.

Both sides have refused to identify the companies Spellissy represented. But the defense says some are well-known defense contractors.