Defense official could face criminal charges

[The Straight Story]

Pentagon IG: Defense official could face criminal charges

By Megan Scully, CongressDaily
At least one current or former Defense Department official could face criminal charges as a result of a Pentagon inspector general's investigation into the Air Force's tainted deal to lease 100 KC-767 aerial refueling tankers from Boeing Co.

Inspector General Joseph Schmitz declined to identify the official, saying only that his office may refer the name to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Schmitz's office on Tuesday released a 256-page report on the investigation, coinciding with a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the matter, considered the largest procurement scandal in decades.

The report identifies several former Pentagon leaders as central to the tanker deal, including Defense acquisition chief Edward (Pete) Aldridge, Air Force Secretary James Roche and Air Force acquisition secretary Marvin Sambur. The department's current acquisition chief, Michael Wynne, also is named.

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