Jo Frederiksen went to work in Iraq for Halliburton’s Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) in July 2003. Jo relied on KBR’s reassurances that US laws applied and that KBR had an “unwavering commitment to employee safety” as deciding factors in accepting their employment offer.

Jo experienced inappropriate touching, stalking, intimidation and verbal harassment by her male co-workers not only in her work place but in her KBR living quarters as well. Jo reported this sexual harassment by James Seton, Daryl Johnson and Justin Cooper to her Project Manager Jeff Uribe.  Jeff Uribe then reported Jo’s complaints to the perpetrators in advance, breaking the confidentiality that Jo was entitled to and subjecting Jo to an even more hostile environment. Jo was actively intimidated and/or her name slandered by Gabe Andino, Bruce Chirinko, David Stallard, Scott Mount, and Wade Wingate, among others, for reporting the vile behavior and the treatment she endured while just trying to fulfill her job duties.

Furthermore, in addition to her own harassment which she reported, Jo became aware of rampant illicit criminal behavior (including prostitution and human trafficking by Halliburton/KBR management personnel). It was known that Bruce Chirinko and many other male employees often frequented a brothel in Thailand. Oftentimes, this brothel, despite being in direct violation of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 22.17, was utilized by many at the direction and encouragement of Defendants’ managers. Upon information and belief, the brothel Towne Lodge and its adjacent bar called Toxic is/was owned, in whole or in part, by John Reddy, another manager for KBR in Iraq. This lack of oversight toward this criminal behavior, prostitution and human trafficking, only lends credence and support to a morally and ethically corrupt environment.

Company officials allegedly transferred her to a remote, dangerous internment facility, and then promoted some of the culprits. Jo Frederiksen says she feared for her life while working for KBR in Baghdad, Iraq, because sexual harassment was rampant in the KBR network, particularly in the living quarters she shared with male employees.

“Jo voiced her concerns many times regarding the co-ed facilities and lack of safety and privacy relating to her living space,” according to the complaint filed in Harris County Court. “When Jo attempted to report her concerns to her superiors or KBR investigators, she was seen as a problem.”

Frederiksen says she was forced to resign because she felt the workplace was no longer safe for her or other female employees. If KBR had taken Jo’s concerns seriously maybe Jamie Jones, Dawn Leamon and others would not have had to endure their brutal rapes.

Jo first took her complaints to the EEOC and they in turn gave her the right to sue.

Jo Frederiksen is represented by L. Todd Kelly of Houston and Nathan Hardee of League City, Texas.

I have paid for a certified copy of the complaint and you can have it for free right HERE

Now for the the important stuff….where are these KBR employees/mangers named in this suit currently working?

Jeff Uribe - KBR Project Manager. Last known Fluor in Human Resources. Is there anyone else here that is laughing their freaking ass off besides me? WTF!!

John Reddy - Last known KBR Project Manager/Deputy Project Manager. Verified by email from a current Town Lodge co-owner that John Reddy was a partner during that time. I had emailed the Town Lodge as a KBR employee asking about John’s establishment and they actually referred me to Bruce Chirinko and Michael Peck to get my questions answered.  Michael Peck is a KBR attorney that must not be familiar with the FAR. It is possible that John MAY have sold his interest in the Town Lodge/Toxic Bar & Lounge as recently as June 30, 2009. My Thai Private Investigator is still working on that.

Gabe Andino - Last known KBR Project Manager. Gabe was one of my PM’s. Hmmm now I wonder what he was saying after I left his office. Is he still working for KBR?

Bruce Chirinko - Last known KBR Project Manager

David Stallard - Last known KBR Deputy Project Manager

Scott Mount - KBR Project Manager. Last known DynCorp.

Wade Wingate - KBR Deputy Project Manager. Last known DynCorp.

James Seaton -KBR QA/QC/Site  manager. Last known Fluor in Mosul?

Daryl Johnson -KBR bus driver? Last known?

Justin Cooper - KBR labor foreman? Last known?

Is anyone else seeing that the majority of alleged offenders here are KBR MANAGERS!!!!

If you have any information about any of the the people listed above leave a comment or email me.

Ms Sparky

Ruling bars lawsuit in Iraq fuel convoy injury

By Walter Putnam - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 30, 2009 18:34:29 EDT

ATLANTA — The wife of a soldier incapacitated by a brain injury in a wreck during a fuel convoy in Iraq cannot sue the civilian contractor delivering the fuel, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Sgt. Keith Carmichael was a gunner assigned to ride in a tanker truck operated by Kellogg, Brown & Root during the 2004 convoy. He was thrown and pinned beneath the truck when the civilian driver failed to negotiate a curve.

According to court documents, Carmichael was left in a permanent vegetative state.

Annette Carmichael of Atlanta sued KBR on behalf of her husband, along with its former parent company, Halliburton, and the driver in Georgia state court in 2006.

KBR had the lawsuit moved to U.S. District Court in Atlanta, then sought for it to be dismissed on grounds that the military was in charge of handling the convoy, including security details and choosing the route to take from Balad, north of Baghdad, to a U.S. air base 100 miles west of the Iraqi capital.

Judge Timothy C. Batten found that the lawsuit could not be adjudicated because it raised a political question involving the military role in the convoy. Batten dismissed the lawsuit for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.

Carmichael appealed, saying the civilian contractor, not the military, was responsible for the accident.

In Tuesday’s 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it found “no judicially manageable standards” to settle the suit and upheld Batten’s dismissal. The opinion said the suit was barred by “the political question doctrine.”

“After thorough review, we conclude that adjudicating the plaintiff’s claims would require extensive re-examination and second-guessing of many sensitive judgments surrounding the conduct of a military convoy in war time — including its timing, size, configurations, speed and force protection,” said the opinion written by Judge Stanley Marcus and joined by Judge R. Lanier Anderson.

Judge Phyllis A. Kravitch concurred that the military controlled the convoy but said Carmichael “sufficiently alleged a claim of negligent supervision” by requiring the driver to work unreasonably long hours, causing fatigue. Kravitch said she would return the case to the lower court to gather more facts on that question. (Click HERE for original article)

It’s been a little slow on the KBR scene lately so I thought I would get a head start on my July 4th posts.

Another long weekend ahead!! People are heading to the hills or getting ready to BBQ and set off fireworks! Oh…and don’t forget those cold brewskies!!

It all brings back fond memories of being a child and running around the yard drawing in the air with my sparklers.

For everyone out there who has small children here are some interesting sparkler facts.

Did you know:

• Sparklers burn at nearly 2000 degrees F°
• 16% of all fireworks injuries are caused by sparklers
• Sparkler injuries account for 1/3 of all fireworks injuries to children under age 5 and 1/2 to children under age 14
• Only persons over the age of 12 should be allowed to handle sparklers of any type

Who would’ve figured. I’ve given them to my own daughter thinking they were the safest.

For more sparkler safety information click HERE

For more general fireworks safety information click HERE

Below is more specific safety information for those people who have larger children who we will undoubtedly be hearing about in the news on July 5th.

• FAA prohibits fireworks of any kind on any flight. They cannot be checked as baggage or carried on. (Hmmm hooda thunk that wuz a problim?)
• Do not light fireworks inside your house. (Click HERE to verify that people actually need to be told this!)
• Do not light fireworks inside a vehicle. (Click HERE to see why not?)
• Do not aim fireworks at another person….watch the :32 sec video below to see why this could be a problem. CAUTION: There is some foul language in this video.
  

• Do not hold fireworks, such as bottle rockets with ANY part of your body!! Click HERE to watch a :49 sec video of why that is not recommended. CAUTION: If sheer stupidity and a bare butt offends you. DO NOT WATCH!

The saddest part of these videos is those guys are going to end up breeding, quite possible with yours or my daughter and in doing so will inevitably pass on those “stupid” genes. It’s time to throw a little bleach in the gene pool!

Have a wonderful safe 4th of July.

Remember…..DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.

Ms Sparky

With so many people being RIF’d and just quitting I though this would be a good time to re-publish this article on this very serious condition. I wonder if one could file a DBA claim on PKSD.

The Tragedy of PKSD

By Anonymous, PMCS 27/8/10
Aug 27, 2008 - 11:05:51 AM

Many brave, patriotic civilians went to Iraq as part of LOGCAP (Logistics Civilian Augmentation Program), and returned to what they thought would be a normal life back here in the States. However, many of these individuals have since been diagnosed with what is now known as Post-KBR Stress Disorder, or PKSD.

These individuals became addicted to high pay for nominal work, very often in jobs they were totally unqualified to perform; and when they returned to what is known as “the real world” they were unable to adjust. Many have refused to return to whatever jobs they had prior to their tour in Iraq, having given themselves the delusion that they actually were qualified for the positions they had graciously been given while there.

A great number of them have refused to work for fair wages in America after having been spoiled on the pay they received while working (or at least, filling out a timesheet) overseas.

This has caused great stress in many families as sufferers of PKSD have refused to assimilate back into the real world.

Many, for years, only saw their families when it was R&R, fun and vacation. Now they are having to deal with the problems that go along with normal life, and they refuse to do it. Another problem is that when they were home in a vacation frame of mind they had more than enough money to spend on every whim of themselves and the family. They spent money like the cash cow would never stop giving and did not adequately plan ahead. Now that they have refused to go back to work they are frustrated that what money they had saved is now gone and they now face financial devastation. Also, since they are no longer the great financial provider that they once were, it has led to marital problems, in many cases.

For some reason that is unclear until further research can be done, everyone who ever worked in water purification and returned home has turned gay. That’s right, they have all become flamers. Researchers say it may take years of study to determine why this has occurred. They have ruled out the chemicals, and now believe it may be the long hours they spent alone together in the ROWPU units.

With the war over in Iraq and things winding down in Afghanistan there is no longer a great need for highly paid, unqualified people in the LOGCAP program.

Many companies who hired KBR HSE Coordinators who are still trying to do what he did in Iraq are facing OSHA fines, and some, loss of contracting license

This new phenomena has overwhelmed the mental health industry. But, since these individuals no longer have jobs they no longer have health insurance (unless they are still married and the spouse provides it), so most are SOL.

Most truck drivers from Iraq refuse to go back on the road, claiming it is boring without the threat of roadside bombs and small arms fire. Many more truck drivers could not adjust to not driving in a convoy without a military escort. Almost all say they will not renew their CDL.

The Food Service Industry in the United States is enforcing a total ban on individuals who worked in KBR DFACs due to liability issues. Insurance providers will no longer provide insurance to restaurants, grocery stores or food industry suppliers who employ former KBR employees. Although it has not been confirmed, there are many rumors that some former KBR Food Service personnel are secretly being employed in restaurants that specialize in Indian Cuisine.

Almost 100% of the KBR medics who did try to return to work are now facing loss of their medical credentials and lawsuits due to some type of malpractice at their new jobs in the States. It seems that whatever the problem of the patient, whether conscious or unconscious, all they would do is try to get them to drink water.

Firemen. ? This reporter would not even know where to begin.

And one Home Depot store which hired a former KBR Materials Manager had to close down within 3 months of his hire because of the massive mismanagement of inventory. When asked for a comment, the Store Manager said, “I can’t @#$%^&* believe how @#$%^&* incompetent this (&}%^ guy is. We {”+=&% hired him with the @#$%^&* recommendation from his *&^% former *^%$#& employer, but he surely had to be a (”+}^% when he %$#*)+ worked for them, too. He %^&$# things up at light speed. I don’t see how his former @#$%^& employer kept from getting slammed by the government.” He had more to say about the man’s Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, etc.

Many of the former KBR employees spend long hours at the local convenience stores talking to the Indians and Pakistanis who work there, seemingly trying to re-experience their days of job and financial security. A strange twist is that they will not go to work for a fair wage, but many will readily sweep and mop floors at the local 7/11 for a six pack of beer and the privilege of being able to hang around and bore the owner with their stories of Iraq. This is ironic since in their previous job the South Asians worked as their labor.

Recently, some of these PKSD sufferers caused an international incident. They pooled what little money they had and tried to start a rebellion in Tahiti, in hopes that the United States would intervene with the military and re-expand the LOGCAP program there. However, the poor fools ran out of money drinking in the bar the first night there.

The exception to this problem seems to be individuals who worked for KBR Security. 100% of these individuals have readjusted and become productive, successful members of their communities. I am sure researchers will want to know the reason for this phenomenon. (click HERE for the original article)

OK…that was funny no matter who you are! I think we should keep adding to it. Here’s my contribution.

“Many former KBR employees suffering from PKSD have been arrested in the States after pulling into a gas station, filling up and driving off without paying. Many claim the fumes triggered flash backs putting them at a fuel point in Iraq where they just drove in, filled up, signed their name and someone else paid!”

Ms Sparky

A Sickening Situation

By Katie Connolly | NEWSWEEK
Published Jun 27, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Jul 13, 2009

Josh Eller, a military contractor stationed in Iraq in 2006, was driving through Balad Air Base when he spotted the wild dog. He wasn’t sure what was in its mouth—but when Eller saw two bones, he knew he was looking at a human arm. The dog had pulled the limb from an open-air “burn pit” on the base used to incinerate waste. Eller says it’s “one of the worst things I have seen.”

Since hearing Eller’s story, lawyer Elizabeth Burke has signed on 190 additional clients with complaints about burn pits at 18 military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. By now, she says, all pits should have been replaced by pollution-controlled incinerators. She’s filed suits in 17 states against KBR, the company contracted to provide waste-disposal services at these bases, accusing it of negligence and harm. Burke was shocked to learn what her clients saw incinerated: Humvees, batteries, unexploded ordnance, gas cans, mattresses, rocket pods, and plastic and medical waste (including body parts, which may explain the arm). Fumes containing carcinogenic dioxins, heavy metals, and particulates, according to an Army–Air Force risk assessment, waft freely across bases.

Burke’s plaintiffs mostly suffer from chronic or unusual medical complications that they believe were caused by burn-pit exposure. Shawn Sheridan, who served two tours at Balad, says black smoke from the pit was so thick at times he couldn’t see through it with night–vision goggles. Sheridan, 26, was healthy when he enlisted six years ago. Now he has a kidney disease, chronic bronchitis, and a painful skin condition.

KBR won’t discuss burn pits while it reviews the suits. A spokeswoman e-mails that KBR isn’t responsible for the Balad pit (Burke alleges it is) and that “any burn pit operated in Iraq or Afghanistan is done pursuant to Army guidelines.” But Kevin Robbins, a former KBR employee who ran a pit near Al Kut, says he got no guidelines on what could be burned when he arrived.

The May 2008 risk assessment of the Balad pit suggested “as much as several hundred tons” of waste was burned each day, but CentCom tells NEWSWEEK it’s now down to about 54 tons. The report found allowable levels of toxins in its air samples. Still, two members of Congress have introduced a bill instructing the DOD to end the practice and monitor the health of service members exposed to fumes. “We certainly would not allow these burn pits in our own country,” says Rep. Tim Bishop. (Click HERE for the original article)

I have almost 60 Burn Pit pics in my Flickr that people have sent me. Click HERE to see those.

Ms Sparky

Could it be the Air Force has finally had a belly full of KBR? Although I haven’t received official word from Secretary of the Air Force Donley, I am told by my awesome readers that KBR’s last day at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq is August 31, 2009. With the Military this probably means March 31, 2010.

Apparently Balad will now be managed under AFCAP (Air Force Contract Augmentation Program) instead of LOGCAP (Logistics Civil Augmentation Program). I am sure there are some differences but essentially I am told that AFCAP is the Air Forces equivalent of the Army’s LOGCAP. Hopefully the Air Force will do better than the Army has.

There are huge Air Force bases at Al Asad, Tallil and I believe Taqqadum (TQ) as well. Will they also transition from LOGCAP to AFCAP?

Is this the DoD’s way of ending the LOGCAP III disaster in Iraq? Just transition to AFCAP? Who is the major AFCAP contractor? Fluor?

Click HERE for a short article about AFCAP and it’s current contractors.

Have other Air Force bases in Iraq heard a similar story? Tell us what you have been told.

Ms Sparky

I have been getting regular complaints from Americans working for LOGCAP contractors in Kuwait. The complaints are primarily about DynCorp, but Combat Service Associates are getting their fair share.

Let ’s start with DynCorp. DynCorp has been sucking up former KBR managers faster than they can be convicted. At this stage of the game I find it interesting that any company would be picking up any manager from a LOGCAP contractor that has so many civil suits, criminal convictions, ongoing criminal investigations, countless DoD investigations and who knows how many Congressional investigations. Who would want to bring that negative management style into their company. Although DynCorp is not new to management issues, at least what I saw and heard about when I was in the Green Zone from 2004-2006. DynCorp had a badging contract I believe for the Department of State (DoS) and one of their badging officers was selling/giving away DoS Badges evidently so people could use the DFAC and pool at the Republican Palace also known at that time as the US Embassy. Hmmm what’s the security issue there?

Here is a comment I received from a concerned DynCorp employee.

I have to tell you I made a big mistake in crossing over with DynCorp. There are several issue we have to deal with on daily basis. One, there are several employees that have not gotten paid for several weeks or months including myself. Dyncorp is a month behind in paying perdiems to employees that have no DFAC or means of getting any food. We all have to use our own money for most of everything even thought it says on the LOA’s that food is covered. Well that is if you do have a LOA.

Did you know that for a week or more there were a lot of employees that put 12hours
on their time sheet and stayed home because there CAT (CAC perhaps) Cards were not active even
thought they are not being scanned in at the ECP’s gate to get in. Just about everyone CAT Card is inactive after June 12 2009 the end of Task Order 147. There are a few that I know of that do not even have a CAT Card at all and is working on
the base and site.

As far the Bus drivers they are TCN’s and they are driving with expired or no Identification at all, some employee are forced to rent there own car’s or pay for taxi to get to and from work. In most cases we are working over time and told that we cannot put this on our time sheet because Dyncorp does not recognize overtime unless approved. Supervisor and Foreman’s are making changes and corrections to employee’s time sheet without there knowledge after they have been signed and turned in.

Some employees are allowed to Hit, Threatened and Disrespect there fellow coworkers and nothing is being done about it. Victimized employees in most cases are too afraid to come forward and when they do they are threaten with termination or they get fired.

In most cases “Looks Like The Same KBR All Over Again”.

Here is a comment I received from a CSA employee.

CSA, Ltd. in Kuwait has nothing on KBR, you have employees that drive company vehicles with no Kuwait Driver’s License, change employee timesheets, and come to work on and go to college online everyday. She stills has a job. Now, CSA needs to be investigated, also.

The camp in question is KNB and the department MWR. The supervisor there goes home sick, but does not put sick leave down. The manager has committed timesheet fraud on various occasions and I have exact dates. they tell you that they need you to work OT, but when timesheet turn in comes around, they cross out the hours and put your initials down, without you knowing abut it until pay day comes around. U cant go to ER because the ER person is friends with the manager and supervisor.

What is going on with this changing of time sheets after that have been signed and submitted? What in the hell is this signing someone else’s initials? That timesheet is a legal document. Any lawyers in the house?

Here are my “recommendations”:

1. Use the reporting system in place even if it doesn’t work. Such as local Human/Employee Relations departments. Document…Document….Document. Use email only. This way if it ever goes to court, and it sounds like it will,  you have a record. If someone responds to your email with a phone call or a face-to-face conversation, summarize the conversation in an email and send it to that person. I’d stat it something like this: “To follow-up with out recent (type of) conversation on (date) at (time) I just want to make sure I understand you correctly.” And then summarize the conversation. Ask them to resspond to the email if there are any corrections to your summary.

2. Contact the Ethic Hotline via email. Document…Document….Document.

DynCorp Ethics Hotline is: hotline@dyn-intl.com

CSA Ethics Hotline is not listed on their website. If you have that information send it to me so I can update.

3. Contact the DoD Inspector General. Even if it doesn’t get investigated immediately, the call gets logged. Maybe your call combined with other peoples calls paints a bigger picture for the DoD. I recently did a post on how to contact the DoD IG click HERE for that.

If my readers will send me Ethics Hotline information for their LOGCAP companies I will do a post of just that contact information.

If I were a betting person…..I would guess that CSA and DynCorp are knee deep in former KBR managers. This just sounds like same shit different company. And the DoD is letting it happen. And to top it all off those brilliant Generals that lead the DoD (and the LOGCAP contractors) are actually expecting a different result.

I guess I’m never going to run out of things to blog about.

Ms Sparky

Casey Presses Pentagon on Maseth Electrocution Investigation

June 22, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today sent a letter to Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn asking for an update on and an estimated timeline on completing investigations into the electrocution death of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth in Iraq in January 2008.  Senator Casey’s letter was prompted by concerns over the slow pace of the inquiries from Staff Sergeant Maseth’s mother, Cheryl Harris.

“I now request that you provide a response on the status of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth’s case, both in the context of the U.S. Army CID investigation and DOD Inspector General investigation, and the expected timelines for their conclusion,” wrote Senator Casey.  “Ryan Maseth was tragically killed almost 18 months ago, and the investigations have dragged on for almost that entire period of time.  We as a nation owe his family an answer on what happened.  Cheryl Harris’s remarkable dedication has inspired me to remain involved on this issue to demand justice and accountability for all of the families who have lost loved ones to electrocutions in Iraq.”

After learning that Staff Sergeant Maseth was killed while taking a shower in Iraq, Senator Casey began pressing the Department of Defense and KBR for answers and assurances that U.S. troops will be safe from further accidental electrocutions.  He has received testimony from General Petraeus, sent letters to Gen. Petraeus and Secretary Gates, met with the KBR CEO, testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and participated in two Democratic Policy Committee hearings to increase accountability in government contracting.

Senator Casey’s advocacy helped spur the Pentagon to establish a task force on the ground in Iraq dedicated to addressing problems in electrical wiring and engaging in comprehensive inspections of every U.S. military facility in Iraq.

###

June 22, 2009

The Honorable William J. Lynn III
Deputy Secretary of Defense
1010 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1010

Dear Deputy Secretary Lynn,

As you know, over the past year I have closely followed the Pentagon’s multiple investigations into the electrocutions of U.S. soldiers while serving in Iraq. My interest in this issue was sparked by the courage and perseverance of a constituent of mine, Cheryl Harris, who lost her son, Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth, on January 2, 2008 when he was electrocuted while taking a shower at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Iraq.

Cheryl has been driven by an unyielding pursuit of the truth about her son’s death. Since Ryan died at the beginning of 2008, she has received three separate accounts of her son’s death, each successive account changing in key details. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) and the Department of Defense Inspector General both have ongoing investigations into the circumstances of Ryan’s death. In addition, Ryan’s family has filed a civil lawsuit against KBR, Inc.

The U.S. Army CID closed an initial investigation into Ryan’s death on June 11, 2008, without filing any charges. However, it reopened the investigation on August 29, 2008. On December 16, 2008 a U.S. Army CID investigator emailed Cheryl to convey the news that the CID’s official classification of Ryan’s death had been changed from accidental homicide to negligent homicide.

Since that exchange, Cheryl has been told repeatedly that her son’s case would be closed soon. In an email exchange with General Rodney Johnson, the CID Commanding General, Cheryl was told she would receive an update on June 8, 2009. On this day, she received a phone call from Colonel Jeff Davies, a CID Group Commander in Atlanta. He informed her that the investigation is complete but that the Judge Advocates General are still reviewing the investigation for thoroughness, a claim that has been made to her before.

Cheryl was also informed that her efforts to reach out for additional information were slowing down the process because Army investigators would have to stop and respond to those requests. Finally, Colonel Davies told her that he could not provide a timeline for the release of final findings for this investigation. Cheryl is concerned that her family’s ongoing lawsuit against KBR may be influencing the lack of Pentagon communications with her on the status of Ryan’s investigation.

I understand the need for thoroughness and allowing justice to fully work without undue haste. But I am concerned that Cheryl Harris now believes that the U.S. Army and the Pentagon as a whole are ignoring her legitimate concerns and requests for information. Cheryl has been a dogged advocate for all soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, to ensure that no other mother be forced to endure what she has over the past eighteen months.

During our phone conversation in March, you agreed to provide me updates and milestones in multiple Department of Defense investigations. I also asked to receive a timeline for completion of these various ongoing DOD investigations. Finally, I insisted that the Pentagon adopt complete transparency and forthrightness with the families of those fallen by electrocutions. These mothers and fathers, husbands and wives are entitled to receive continuous updates and full inclusion in the investigative process as it unfolds. They deserve nothing less.

Accordingly, I now request that you provide a response on the status of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth’s case, both in the context of the U.S. Army CID investigation and DOD Inspector General investigation, and the expected timelines for their conclusion. Ryan Maseth was tragically killed almost 18 months ago, and the investigations have dragged on for almost that entire period of time. We as a nation owe his family an answer on what happened. Cheryl Harris’s remarkable dedication has inspired me to remain involved on this issue to demand justice and accountability for all of the families who have lost loved ones to electrocutions in Iraq.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator

Click HERE for original press release

I would like to wish all the great Father’s in the world a Happy Father’s Day.

A special Happy Father’s Day wish for all those father’s who are currently deployed and are serving our country.  That makes being a Father extra difficult. Thanks to the moms and family members who are picking up the slack.

Happy Father’s Day to the civilian fathers who have chosen to support our troops and our country in the Middle East. It’s no less difficult being away from your family because you are a civilian.

And for those who have lost fathers in the Middle East or anywhere for that matter, a big hug for you.

So…go hug your Dad, go call your Dad, Dad’s away from home….call your family.

Ms Sparky

3 US Troops Plead Guilty In Fraud Case Over Defense Contracts

6-19-09 7:22 PM EDT

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES-Two U.S. military officials pleaded guilty to bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges relating to Defense Department contracts in Afghanistan, and a third pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property in connection with the case, the Justice Department said Friday.
Four Defense Department contractors and four affiliated contracting companies also were indicted and accused of paying bribes to the military officials.

Christopher P. West, an Army Major from Chicago who served in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005, pleaded guilty to three counts of bribery and five counts of conspiracy. West admitted accepting $90,000 from contractors for awarding contracts at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. He also admitted accepting cash from contractors for certifying inflated numbers of bunkers and barriers delivered at Bagram, causing the government to pay for goods never received.

Patrick W. Boyd, an Air Force master sergeant from Rockledge, Fla., who served as a contracting officer at Bagram in 2004 and 2005, pleaded guilty to three counts of bribery and three counts of conspiracy for accepting $90,000 from contractors for the award of contracts. He also admitted receiving $25,000 from a contractor for the award of a telecommunications infrastructure contract at Bagram.

Charles Patton, a friend of West and an Army sergeant from Chicago, pleaded guilty to charges of receiving stolen property. He admitted receiving shipments of cash from West in 2004 and 2005, while West was in Afghanistan. Patton hid the money in his home until West returned to U.S.

West, Boyd and Patton agreed to pay restitution of $500,000, $130,000 and $ 100,000, respectively, as well as forfeit any fraud-related assets and cooperate with the investigation.

Also indicted were brothers and U.S. citizens Assad John Ramin and Tahir Ramin; their companies AZ Corp. and Top’s Construction; Afghan citizen Noor Alam and his company Northern Reconstruction Organization; and Abdul Qudoos Bakhshi, an Afghan, and his company Naweed Bakhshi Co. on bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges.  (click HERE for original article)

Southwest Asia DoD Inspector General Hotline

Call center open M-F 8am-5pm EST (you can leave a message)

Toll Free: 1-877-363-3348

DSN: 312-664-1151

Email: hotline@dodig.mil

Website: www.dodig.mil/hotline

Unfortunately the call center in DC is not open 24/7. I did mention that to the investigator I just talked to and told him it might serve them well to make the center more available to the people with the information. So keep in mind you are at least 8 hour ahead of the call center. If you are going to call and leave a message get your facts in order and be specific. Give specific names, dates, places and offenses. The investigators are not going to be able to investigate “some guy stole some stuff a few days ago at some camp in Iraq”.

There are investigators in several locations in the LOGCAP theater of operations so if at all possible leave contact info so that they can contact you back for more information.

Also keep in mind the investigator does not have the same history on the situation. So explain it like you would to someone who has never heard of Iraq. Don’t use acronyms or nick names. Spell it out.

If you have information about waste, fraud abuse or other crimes or wrong doings contact them. You may or may not see anything happen but they log every complaint. It may take a few complaints from several people to get the info they need to investigate. Don’t be afraid to contact them again and don’t think they don’t care because they do.

PLEASE be honest.

Ms Sparky

Ex-KBR Employee Convicted In Bribery, Fuel Conspiracy

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
June 18, 2009 17:18 ET (21:18 GMT)

A former employee of KBR Inc. (KBR) has been convicted on federal charges in a bribery and a fuel-diversion scheme at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

Raschad L. “Sean” Lewis was a former fuel-section employee assigned to Bagram, where KBR, a former Halliburton Co. (HAL) subsidiary known as Kellogg Brown and Root, had a contract to provide support services to the U.S. Army. KBR has received billions of dollars since 2001 to be a major provider of food and shelter services to U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lewis was found guilty Wednesday of conspiracy, false writing, bribery of a public official and false claims. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 21.

In related cases last year, former KBR employees Wallace A. Ward and James N. Sellman pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, and both were sentenced to 26 months in prison.

Between May and September 2006, Lewis and other KBR employees were accused of conspiring to accept payments from drivers, who were selling their fuel to people outside the airfield, in return for providing the drivers with documents falsely showing truckloads of fuel had been delivered to the airfield.

More than 48 truckloads of fuel, valued at more than $800,000, were diverted for sale outside the airfield between May and September 2006, prosecutors said. (click HERE for original article)

Fluor has enjoyed a reputation for treating their personnel very well.  That may now be a thing of the past. It appears that former KBR “leadership” has infiltrated the highest ranks of Fluor and could very possibly be taking advantage of their personal networks to relive the good old days.  Some of you may remember those good old days, where men were men and the minions knew their place.

I’ve been told in order to be eligible to work for Fluor on LOGCAP IV you must be eligible for re-hire by KBR.  What? Say it isn’t so!! In theory this should weed out the undesirables but in the case of KBR it’s just the opposite.  The bulk of the bad seeds at KBR are not terminated. They are just transferred or promoted to get them out of the way or could it be to keep them from being subpoenaed and deposed. Or they are just quietly sent home.

So here is a very abbreviated list of personnel most likely not eligible for re-hire?

Those horrible folks who didn’t wear their hat and lanyard?

• Unfit and not ready for duty

Those people who had the audacity to call the Ethics Hotline?

• Malcontents

Employees who don’t believe sexual favors are part of their job requirements?

• Not a team player

Employees who take pride in their jobs and want to do it right the first time?

• Reduced revenue because the job is only done once

Employees reporting crimes of theft, fraud, waste and abuse

• Not in the best interest of the shareholders

I am still stunned at Fluor’s decision to hire some of the managers they’ve hired from KBR. That may account for this whole alleged  “black balling” situation. Fluor is doing themselves a huge injustice of this true.

And I am still having a hard time understanding why the DoD is allowing Fluor to hire all these KBR managers that were in command when all this shit was happening. Is the DoD going to allow Fluor to turn into KBR? I can see the handwriting on the wall!!

If you have been denied employment by Fluor because of your association with KBR email me. I would love to see a copy of that denial letter. To the best of my knowledge BLACK LISTING is illegal.

If you are “Not Eligible For Rehire” for KBR and it’s a bogus claim, you really need to get that cleared up. If you were violated, mistreated, exploited, harassed and/or retaliated against march into DRP (Dispute Resolution Program) and file a complaint to clear your name!

Now…if you got drunk and were racing trucks on the airstrip or something equally stupid and were fired and are “Not Eligible For Rehire” then you deserve it.

Someone with the authority (DoD) to investigate these hiring practices and the possible misconduct involved needs to step up to the plate and end this cycle of injustice now. Do not allow Fluor to perpetuate KBR’s reign of terror.

Ms Sparky

KBR Should Refund U.S. Payments for War Insurance, Auditors Say

By Tony Capaccio

June 16, 2009 (Bloomberg) — KBR Inc., the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, should be pressed to return part of $27.6 million the Pentagon paid for the company’s war insurance premiums in 2003, according to Pentagon auditors.

The Defense Contract Audit Agency recommended contracting officials begin withholding payments on future contracts if KBR doesn’t provide paperwork documenting that the insurance premium billings in 2003 were reasonable.

The repayment is necessary because “a significant amount of time has passed” since the agency asked KBR, formerly a unit of Houston-based Halliburton Co., to provide documentation, auditor Lydia Jackson wrote June 12 to the Pentagon’s Defense Contract Management Agency.

“KBR did not provide adequate documentation demonstrating costs were reasonable, such as solicitation for bids and/or its market research on insurance premiums,” she wrote. The agency is now reviewing 2004 premium claims, she wrote.

Heather Browne, spokeswoman for Houston-based KBR, said the company “is not aware” of the audit agency’s “specific recommendations and we have not received a notification.”

The agency “has reviewed the costs of the federally mandated insurance on numerous occasions over the past several years,” she said in an e-mail. “KBR works diligently to provide information in a timely manner when it is requested.”

Required by Law

Kellogg Brown & Root was split off from Halliburton in 2007 and is now known as KBR Inc. Like all defense contractors, KBR is required to take out death and injury insurance for all U.S. employees and subcontractors doing business overseas. The insurance is required by the 1941 Defense Base Act.

The government reimburses companies for the premiums. In many cases, if the injury or death is war-related, insurers also will be reimbursed as well for the full cost of benefits, plus 15 percent in administrative fees.

The premiums at issue are among $592 million KBR incurred from 2003 to 2007 as it fulfilled its $31 billion contract to provide housing, food, laundry, mail delivery and fuel to U.S. Army troops worldwide, according to the audit agency.

KBR has provided no solid documentation that it tried to get the lowest rates in 2003, audit agency director April Stephenson told a congressionally mandated commission last month. Nor does KBR verify that the payroll information from subcontractors that is used to calculate the premiums isn’t inflated, Stephenson said.

Oversight at Issue

The Pentagon and the Labor Department are both responsible for overseeing the war insurance program.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, said he would challenge the effectiveness of this oversight at a hearing on the war insurance program June 18 by a panel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“It’s about time the Pentagon hold KBR and other defense contractors accountable,” Sanders said in an e-mailed statement. “Clearly contractors made big money, less clear is what the Defense Department and taxpayers got for their money.”

The insurance for about 80 percent of the war coverage is issued by New York City-based American International Group Inc.

A September 2007 Army audit concluded that premiums AIG charged to KBR showed “wide swings” that appeared “excessive” before dropping in 2006. It stopped short of saying that KBR should be required to repay the U.S., however.

The war insurance questions are the latest for a contractor that received continued criticism of its logistics contract management and the adequacy of the internal business systems used to ensure that costs submitted for government reimbursement are reasonable.  (click HERE for the original article)

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I’m not being all righteous about prostitution. I feel all women who have the option to CHOOSE to be prostitutes have the right to charge for sex. Like some in Nevada who make the big bucks. God only knows American women have given enough of it away for free, or for a beer or for dinner so I don’t really disrespect those who can get money for it.

What I do have a problem with is women and children who are forced or coerced into prostitution. Or some manager of a LOGCAP contractor promoting prostitution at a camp in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Dubai or Thailand. That same manager who would fire you for not wearing a baseball cap and lanyard.

Just so we are clear on what prostitution is. If you are giving a person money so they can send it to their families in their home country and then are having sex with them…..that is prostitution.

If you are paying someone to clean your trailer and then they offer to provide you with some sort of sexual favor……that is prostitution.

If you are paying someone to do your laundry and then they offer up a special “sumpin sumpin”…..that is prostitution.

I am not looking for the “end user” so to speak…although I do recommend a trip doctor.  I am looking for the people promoting it, supporting it, hiding it.

Tell me about the LOGCAP camps with organized prostitution rings, past or present with Filipino or local women or men involving KBR employees, military or others.

Tell me about the employee packages to Thailand. Gotta love that cheap dental work!

Tell me about the employee privileges in Dubai.

Tell me about the pervs in your camp.

Please do not put peoples names in the comments. Email me names or other information by clicking HERE for the “Contact Us” page. You can be anonymous but PLEASE be honest.

Ms Sparky

(This story seems to be back in the news and we haven’t heard much about it in the States, so I am resurrecting the original story for you. )

Iraqis allege sex abuse at the British Embassy

The Times
May 8, 2008
Deborah Haynes in Baghdad and Sonia Verma in Dubai

An Iraqi cleaner and two cooks claim that a culture of sexual harassment, abuse and bullying exists at the British Embassy in Baghdad.

The middle-aged cleaner told The Times that a British contractor with KBR, the company hired to maintain the embassy’s premises, offered to double her daily pay if she would stay the night with him. When she refused, she said, her pay was cut and she was later dismissed.

The Iraqis accuse the embassy of leaving the abuse unchallenged and failing adequately to respond to complaints against several British managers for KBR. The company was allowed to conduct its own inquiry, an arrangement criticised as a very serious conflict of interest.

The complainants – the cleaner and two male cooks who worked in the embassy canteen – say that some KBR managers groped Iraqi staff regularly, paid or otherwise rewarded them for sex and dismissed those who refused or spoke out. Continue reading this post…

Lawmakers to hold news briefing on burn pits

Military Times
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 10, 2009 20:03:12 EDT

Sponsors of a bill aimed at more tightly regulating the use of open-air burn pits for waste disposal in Iraq and Afghanistan will hold a news conference Thursday to highlight the effects on troops of possible exposure to toxins from burn-pit smoke.

“There is mounting evidence that veterans may be ill — and some may have actually died — as a result of exposure to dangerous toxins produced by the pits,” Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., said in a statement. Bishop co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H.

The news conference will feature veterans who say they were sickened by the plumes, as well as an epidemiologist who specializes in the health risks associated with exposure to burn pits, which are used at bases throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Continue reading this post…

Rape Case Highlights Arbitration Debate

by Wade Goodwyn

NPR’s All Things Considered, June 9, 2009

If you would like to listen to this 8 minute show on NPR’s All Things Considered click HERE

Jamie Leigh Jones was a 20-year-old Halliburton employee in 2005 when she was sent to work in Iraq. She’d been there just four days when she joined a small group of Halliburton firefighters outside her barracks at the end of the day. One of them gave her a drink. She took two sips, and Jones says that was the last thing she remembered.

“I woke up inside the barracks,” she says. “It was actually inside my barrack room, and that’s when I noticed I had been severely beaten and was actually naked.”

Jones had been raped, repeatedly. By how many men, she’s not sure. But she says one man was still naked and asleep in the room when she came to.

“Apparently, he knew he was beyond the reach of any jurisdiction, so he was still brazen enough to be there,” she says.

Jones was escorted by security to the company clinic for a rape examination. When the rape kit examination was done, the evidence was turned over to Halliburton security. Continue reading this post…

Guardsmen Say KBR Exposed Them to Poison

By KARINA BROWN

PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) - Five National Guardsmen say military contractor KBR knowingly exposed them to hexavalent chromium during restoration of an Iraqi water facility. The men say that when they developed “chrome nose” bleeding, KBR brushed off the telltale sign, claiming that they were allergic to sand.

Rocky Bixby, Lawrence Roberta, Scott Ashby, Charles Ellis and Matthew Hadley claim that KBR’s southern Iraq Health Safety Environment manager knew about the contamination in May 2003, but the company kept them working, and in the dark, for 4 more months.

KBR allegedly conducted a full-site analysis to identify hazards in April 2003, and billed the government for that work. KBR even continued operation for an extra month after 60 percent of onsite workers reported symptoms of acute poising, the plaintiffs say. Continue reading this post…

Another lawsuit against KBR on behalf of shareholders.

SAN DIEGO, CA (Shareholders Foundation) — Investors in Halliburton Company (Public, NYSE:HAL) and KBR, Inc. Public, NYSE:KBR) have filed at least two separate lawsuits on behalf of current investors in Halliburton Company Public, NYSE:HAL) in Texas state court on Thursday, May 14, 2009 against certain one-time Halliburton subsidiary KBR, Inc. executives and officers and others alleging that poor oversight and lack of internal controls enabled a pervasive environment of misdeed and corruption, resulting in enforcement actions and substantial government penalties that have severely damaged investors’ holdings. (click HERE to read the rest of the article)

I do believe that was on my list of things I wanted to see happen for 2009. That makes two now…I guess I can check that off!

Ms Sparky