US contractor pleads guilty to corruption in Iraq reconstruction

[ProSense]

US contractor pleads guilty to corruption in Iraq reconstruction

19 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US contractor pleaded guilty to bribing American officials in charge of Iraq reconstruction to ensure contracts worth 8.6 million dollars were granted to his building companies, US authorities said.

Philip Bloom pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) overseeing the rebuilding of south-central Iraq, the US Department of Justice and the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction announced in a joint statement.

Snip...

From December 2003 through December 2005, Bloom and the CPA's comptroller and funding officer for southern-central Iraq, Robert Stein, as well as several US army officers, "conspired to rig the bids on federally-funded contracts . . . so that all of the contracts were awarded to Bloom."

Snip...

Bloom faces up to 40 years in prison and a fine of 750,000 dollars. He must also pay 3.6 million dollars in restitution and forfeit 3.6 million dollars in assets to the US government.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060418/pl_afp/usiraqprosecute_060418220642

[ProSense]

1. Businessman pleads guilty to paying more than $2 million in bribes...

Businessman pleads guilty to paying more than $2 million in bribes for Iraq contracts

WASHINGTON Details are emerging in court documents about a U-S businessman's bribes to get contracts for Iraq reconstruction jobs.

A plea deal made public today showed how Philip Bloom offered money, cars, premium airline seats, jewelry, alcohol and sex with women at his Baghdad villa.

Bloom paid more than two (m) million dollars to U-S officials who directed more than eight and a-half (m) million dollars in contracts to companies he owned. After an inspector general's audit, the system crumbled.

Bloom is facing up to 40 years in prison and eight (m) million dollars in penalties. He pleaded guilty in February and has been cooperating with authorities. Bloom's companies won contracts for a police academy for Hillah and renovation of the public library near Karbala.

more...

http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=4786270&nav=menu28_1_3

[Stinky The Clown]

2. This is the same as charging privates & corporals in the Abu Ghraib thing

The contracts were a measley pittance of 8 million?

Halliburton's one 'showcase' fine was more than that.

KBR got more than that for providing conataminated water.

Early in The War in Iraq® we paid more than that for the border runners to haul gas from Kuwait.

Okay, the guy paid bribes and that's a crime.

But get the BIG GUYS fer krissakes.

Feh .......