Air Force Arranged No-Work Contract: Experts Question Official's Deal With Nonprofit

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Washington Post, page one

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 1, 2007; Page A01

While waiting to be confirmed by the White House for a top civilian post at the Air Force last year, Charles D. Riechers was out of work and wanted a paycheck. So the Air Force helped arrange a job through an intelligence contractor that required him to do no work for the company, according to documents and interviews.

For two months, Riechers held the title of senior technical adviser and received about $13,400 a month at Commonwealth Research Institute, or CRI, a nonprofit firm in Johnstown, Pa., according to his resume. But during that time he actually worked for Sue C. Payton, assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, on projects that had nothing to do with CRI, he said....

***

Riechers's job highlights the Pentagon's ties with Commonwealth Research and its corporate parent, which has in recent years received hundreds of millions of dollars worth of grants and contracts from the military, and more than $100 million in earmarks from lawmakers.

Commonwealth Research and its parent company, Concurrent Technologies, are registered with the Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt charities, even though their primary work is for the Pentagon and other government agencies. In a recent report Concurrent, also based in Johnstown, Pa., said it was among the Defense Department's top 200 contractors, with a focus on intelligence, surveillance, force readiness and advanced materials.

Concurrent and its subsidiaries receive grants and contracts for an eclectic variety of other activities, including support of faith-based initiatives and specialized welding work....IRS rules allow charitable organizations to engage in a wide range of activities, including services for the federal government. Commonwealth Research's president, Frank W. Cooper, said the company qualifies as a charity because it provides services both locally and to the federal government.....But Marcus Owens, former director of the exempt organizations division at the IRS, said Concurrent and Commonwealth Research appear to be "providing the sorts of services that are commonly provided by business organizations like Boeing and Lockheed Martin and others, and not charities," said Owens, partner at Caplin & Drysdale law firm....

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/30/AR2007093001402.html?nav=hcmodule

[alfredo]

1. I'd like to have a job like that.

[aquart]

2. Is Murtha involved or are they just trying to glue it to him?

[DeepModem Mom]

4. I'll just post, for others, the passage from the article about Murtha --

A leading patron of Concurrent in Congress is Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), who represents the district where the company is based. Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, announced the creation of the company in 1987.

Murtha recently arranged $10 million in earmarks for the company for fiscal 2008, according to records compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group. One $3 million earmark is for an Air Force project.

Through a spokesman, Murtha said he has no financial ties to Concurrent. Murtha said the company's "quality work and research has resulted in improved equipment for our troops. Their competitive price has saved taxpayers money, and they continue to deliver on-time results."

[Doctor_J]

7. According to CREW, Murtha is up near the top of the corruption

list, so it's possible. The top 20 has 17 Repubs and 3 Dems, and he's one of the 3.

[happyslug]

13. Murtha his "offer" of what he thought would be a good bribe in Abscam.

Which for the "Arabs" to invest in ANY BUSINESS in his district. Now how he worded his refusal to take the bribe can be interpreted that he wanted to be paid later, but another way (and the prosecutor of the Case after reviewing Murtha Background agreed with this interpretation) that he did NOT want to insult the "Arabs" (for refusing to take the money would be viewed as an insult if the Arabs had truly been Arabs).

This has been the main thrust of the accusation against Murtha as being Corrupt. As a person who lives in his district, I can inform you he works overtime for his District, including trying to get people to invest in jobs in Johnstown (Even if that means dealing with less than honest Corporations). The GOP hate him for he does a very good job of getting business to move to Johnstown (A depressed community) and does a lot to help the people in the area (He has been a big supporter of the Rails to Trails and finally this year was able to get funding for several he has been involved with for years, but the GOP refused to finance because they were in Murtha's district).

As to personal Corruption, he has a Marine Pension (as a Colonel) and his family owed a Car wash in Johnstown at the time he entered the service. From what I have seen those are his ONLY SOURCE OF INCOME. He is a poor man compared to Bud Shuster of Altoona (Who was well known for corruption given his control over the House committee on Transportation in the 1990s0. I can NOT say Murtha is NOT corrupt, for I have no access to his personal finances, but from what I can see in the Public Record he is as honest as any other member of the House of Representatives (and a good bit more honest then GOP members of the House).

Murtha likes his earmarks, for that is a way to get things for his district. These earmarks often help small groups of people in his district, but how else do you get money invested into his District? No issue has ever come up about any personal gain in regards to these Earmarks, but the GOP call them "Corrupt" for they are passed by Congress to help people in need of federal help. Murtha views these attempts to get people to invest into his District part of his job as our Congressman. Since these are done NOT as part of a General policy (To be determine by the Executive Branch) some people call these Corrupt, Murtha just view it as a way he can help the people of his District.

Local WebStie on CRI (Not much there, givne for reference only):
http://www.manta.com/comsite5/bin/pddnb_company.pl?pdlanding=1&referid=4490&id=g1r3gk

Abscam:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam

John Murtha:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Murtha
http://www.house.gov/murtha/

[Up2Late]

3. Wow, I was just reading "The Onion" and for a second there, thought someone had posted one...

...from there. This is CRAZY!:banghead: :crazy:

[trusty elf]

5. Doesn't shrubya have a job like that too?

:shrug:

I know he said it was hard work being the pretzeldunce, but that's just the rigors of indolence.

[LiberalFighter]

6. How can a company like that be a charitable organization?

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. This is a thousand times worse than renting out the Lincoln Bedroom.

[Demeter]

9. Air Force Arranged No-Work Contract

Source: Washington Post

Air Force Arranged No-Work Contract
Experts Question Official's Deal With Nonprofit

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 1, 2007; A01



While waiting to be confirmed by the White House for a top civilian post at the Air Force last year, Charles D. Riechers was out of work and wanted a paycheck. So the Air Force helped arrange a job through an intelligence contractor that required him to do no work for the company, according to documents and interviews.

For two months, Riechers held the title of senior technical adviser and received about $13,400 a month at Commonwealth Research Institute, or CRI, a nonprofit firm in Johnstown, Pa., according to his r¿sum¿. But during that time he actually worked for Sue C. Payton, assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, on projects that had nothing to do with CRI, he said.

Riechers said in an interview that his interactions with Commonwealth Research were limited largely to a Christmas party, where he said he met company officials for the first time.

"I really didn't do anything for CRI," said Riechers, now principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition. "I got a paycheck from them."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/30/AR2007093001402.html?hpid=topnews

[soothsayer]

10. Just like the Sopranos! remarkable.

[MADem]

11. Wonder if he sat on a lawn chair, griping about the gabba goo in his sammich

Or was it a no-show on top of a no-work?

Disgraceful. But then, this is BushCo.

[leaninglib]

14. It sounds like the UAW has infiltrated the US Air Force.

[Trillo]

15. I like it!

I call for similar contracts for ALL American workers!

Work two months, take 10 off -- just like hunter gatherers!

Best part of it is, no work required for those two months, either! Even better than our ancestors!

Oh, you say it's but a pipe dream? But lookie over there!

[Neurotica]

12. Note that the CEO of this company is Daniel DeVos

I believe this person is the son of Richard DeVos and a brother of Dick DeVos.

Worth exploring further...