Major jailed in bribes case

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Express-News

Federal authorities on Monday arrested an Army major stationed at Fort Sam Houston on charges that he took almost $10 million in bribes and expected $5.4 million more on military contracts he had rigged.

A handful of agencies, including investigative arms of the Justice and Defense departments, arrested Maj. John Cockerham, 41, and his wife, Melissa, 40, in the pre-dawn hours Monday as the couple returned to Fort Sam Houston from Louisiana.

They appeared later in federal court in San Antonio, where a judge ordered them held without bail pending a bond hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Melissa Cockerham is accused of helping her husband receive and hide some of the bribe payoffs. The two are charged with accepting bribes, defrauding the United States, money laundering and conspiracy.

<snip>

The payoffs included hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash stuffed in briefcases and bags that were accepted by Melissa Cockerham and others for John Cockerham, the affidavits said. Much of the graft occurred in 2005 and was deposited in banks in the Middle East and much of it appears to have been moved to offshore banks in the Caribbean, according to the affidavits.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA072407.01A.general_charged.34e1363.html

[Gman]

1. Again, this entire war is about looting the treasury

and a lot of people making a ton of money. If you want a rationale as to why Bush just doesn't see why this war is wrong, don't go looking for moral and/or terrorist reasons. Just look at how many people are making a ton of money off this war. It's just that simple.

[gratuitous]

2. The Cockerhams have now spent more time in jail than Scooter Libby

And while they are accused of serious crimes, they haven't yet been convicted.

Tell me that one again about "equal justice under law"? That one allus cracks me up.

[Solo_in_MD]

3. This is going to be interesting...O-4s do not have that kind of authority normally

[Cirque du So-What]

4. If the corporate media deem this newsworthy

look for emphasis on the Obama - DailyKos reference made toward the end of the article.

The 'culture of corruption' will go unnoticed in favor of an opportunity to get in some digs against Democrats / the left :grr:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. After I read that I looked and didn't find any campaign donations to Obama by Cockerham

All things considered, he probably attended for a fee provided he mention it at this point.