"Some Guys Get All the Breaks".....Efraim Diveroli...Josh Marshall reader's "humor"...heh..

[KoKo]

Some Guys Get All the Breaks


TPM Reader AB's lament ...

I'm 23 years old and I have yet to make it as an international arms dealer, despite majoring in international relations in college. I sometimes give my weapons pitch on street corners or at open mic nights, hoping to be scouted. I've sent out demo tapes to all of the major government agencies, including the Defense department, State Department, and CIA. I was very surprised when only the FBI responded, even though I hadn't sent them a copy. At the moment I have a job at a coffee shop to pay the bills. I worry that maybe I'll never make it, that I'll be stuck serving coffee for the rest of my life. However every time I feel down, I think of Efraim Diveroli. I tell myself, if he can make it, so can I.

--Josh Marshall

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This is all about that 19-22 year old Arms Dealer for the US Defense Department:
Efraim Diveroli.


Army Awarded AEY Contract After "Recomendation" From Firm's Financial Backer
By Andrew Tilghman - June 24, 2008, 5:25PM

When Army officials asked Ralph Merrill to provide a "performance evaluation" of arms dealer AEY, he gave the the firm a glowing review.

Well, of course did. He's the company's financial backer. And he's also one of the three other men indicted last week along with AEY's 22-year-old president, Efraim Diveroli.

"We have dealt with AEY Inc. for the last four years and have built an excellent business relationship with them. We have found them to be reliable, competent, efficient and honest," Merrill wrote in the evaluation in October 2006.

Army officials had reason to know that Merrill was tied to AEY. In March of 2006, Merrill wrote an email to a military official describing himself as AEY's vice president. In January 2007, he told Army officials that he'd set aside $1 million in case AEY needed extra capital.

A federal indictment describes Merrill as a "business associate of Efraim Diveroli, who provided financial and managerial assistance." Merill was involved in some of AEY's negotiations with subcontractors, the indictment said.

Nevertheless, Merrill's was among the three ostensibly independent performance evaluations the Army had on file for AEY when they awarded it a $300 million contract in Janury 2007. Merrill, who also runs a Utah-based weapons dealership called Vector Arms, had responded to the Army's request for information about Vector Arms' dealings with AEY.

That's all according to documents disclosed today at the House oversight committees hearing on AEY.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/aey_contract_after_recomendation_from_firms_financial_backer.php