» 2011 » January Ms Sparky

Misconduct and other missteps in the news

Posted on: January 16th, 2011 at 10:34 am — by Forseti

‘Personal misconduct’ tied to 1-star’s firing
By Bruce Rolfsen – Staff writer – January 16, 2011 – A general lost his joint command because he inappropriately touched female subordinates and made off-colored remarks in private and public meetings, according to the Pentagon’s top investigator.

Brig. Gen. Scott Chambers oversaw the 2,400-employee Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia from October 2009 until his firing Dec. 9 by the head of the DLA, Vice Adm. Alan Thompson.

Thompson cited “personal misconduct” uncovered by the Defense Department Inspector General as the reason for Chambers’ dismissal. The inspector general had investigated Chambers, who has 27 years of service, after Troop Support staff members filed complaints against him. The report does not specify how many workers contacted the inspector general, but statements in the report indicate at least two made complaints.

Chambers has declined requests for comment twice, immediately after his dismissal and after Air Force Times obtained the inspector general’s findings Dec. 27 through a Freedom of Information Act request. He is now serving as a special assistant to the commander of the Air Force District of Washington, D.C., while Air Force Secretary Michael Donley reviews his case.

The 14-page report, based on interviews with 23 witnesses and Chambers, details several instances where Chambers — either through remarks or gestures — made the men and women under his supervision uncomfortable.

Military officials heavily redacted the report, including the names of the witnesses and complainants as well as a page of allegations that Chambers was cleared of. (Click HERE for article)

How Did a Marine Corps Food Contract Grow to $1.2 Billion?
Noel Brinkerhoff – January 15, 2011 – The Department of Defense is on the hook for paying more than $1 billion just to feed the U.S. Marine Corps, now that a contract with a France-based company has swelled with added costs.

What was supposed to cost $881 million is now looking like $1.2 billion, making the deal with catering company Sodexo the largest-ever domestic military food service contract in procurement history.

Again and again modifications were made to the Sodexo arrangement, causing a 36% increase in costs. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has questioned whether all the changes were necessary. (Click HERE for article)

2 men sentenced to probation for helping unravel $300 million Pentagon ammunition fraudBy The Associated Press (CP) – MIAMI – January 13, 2011 – Two men who helped investigators unravel fraud in a $300 million Pentagon ammunition contract have been sentenced to probation instead of prison. U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard in Miami agreed Thursday with prosecutors that David Packouz and Alexander Podrizki were vital in helping the U.S. convict two key people. Packouz is on probation for 14 months and Podrizki for 10 months. They could have spent years in prison.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Soldier stabbed on plane by Robert Paterson, US contractor in Afghanistan

Posted on: January 16th, 2011 at 7:12 am — by Ms Sparky

It appears we have another member to induct into our “Contractors Misbehaving On Airplanes” club. He will join the likes of other overseas US Government contractors such as Robert Wade Prince charged with Assault on a Federal Officer and Interference with a Flight Crew and Derek Stanberry charged with Interfering With a Flight Crew and willfully making false threats about an explosive device on an aircraft. To the best of my knowledge charges are still pending on these two. I still haven’t confirmed who he worked for, but I will let you know as soon as I do. ~ Ms Sparky

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in A Soldiers Story, Civilian Contractors, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests. Tags: Derek Stansberry*, Nicholas Shipley, Robert Paterson, Robert Wade Prince. No Comments »

It’s hammer time – keeping defense contractors in check

Posted on: January 15th, 2011 at 8:08 am — by Forseti

Will 2011 be the year that we see the USG grow a set and begin enforcing the laws on errant and corrupt contractors? In the last few months new legislation has been enacted that seems to point in that direction. However, as the loyal readers of Ms Sparky know, new rules generally invoke new methods of cover up by the criminal elements committing these misdeeds and acts of malfeasance. Also, what about the old rules? When is the USG going to enforce them? Has anyone been debarred, sanctioned or otherwise called on the carpet for violating or covering up crimes in the past? I am not talking about the smattering of indictments, convictions and plea deals against individuals that have made headlines. I am talking about the dirty rotten scoundrels laughing all the way to the bank to deposit billions of taxpayer dollars into their corporate coffers! ~Forseti

Defense Authorization Bolsters Foreign Contractor Accountability and Expands FAPIIS

Neil Gordon – POGO – January 14, 2010 – Earlier this week, POGO submitted a public comment about a new Department of Defense interim rule permitting the reduction or denial of award fees if contractors jeopardize the health or safety of government personnel. Since then, POGO became aware of a provision tucked into the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 that could send the rule drafters at the Pentagon back to the drawing board. In addition, it will also provide the public with a new source of contractor accountability data.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Franken Amendment*, GOV. CONTRACTORS, LAWSUITS, Politics, Reports & Investigations. Tags: DoD Contractors, DoD*, FAPIIS, Franken Amendment*, Pentagon, POGO, Rape, Title VII. No Comments »

Charges dropped against accused rapist, Daniel Phillips (updated 07/27/2011)

Posted on: January 11th, 2011 at 11:00 am — by Ms Sparky

Rape charges dropped against former Iraq contractor

By Louis Hansen
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 27, 2011

A judge has dismissed rape and indecent liberties charges against a former Iraq contractor.

Police brought Daniel P. Phillips, 46, back from Iraq in January to face felony charges of rape, indecent liberties and aggravated sexual battery, according to a police report.

In court papers, Phillips denied the allegations and stated that he was in Kuwait and Iraq between December 2004 and January 2005, when the alleged attacks occurred.

Earlier this month, a prosecutor asked the judge to dismiss the charges and release Phillips from the Norfolk jail. Circuit Court Judge Charles E. Poston on Monday signed an order dismissing the charges. (click HERE for original article)

Daniel Phillips, 46 (photo courtesy: Norfolk Police Dept.)

Norfolk police, with the assistance from the federal government, arrested a civilian government contractor that was wanted for the rape of a juvenile female relative between 2004 and 2005. The suspect fled to Iraq soon after the crime to avoid arrest and began working with computers as a government contractor. (Updated Jan 15, 2011: Daniel Phillips allegedly worked for DRS TSI (Formerly Tamsco)and was at a ‘MINI’ Satellite site in Balad)

Investigators began tracking the location of Daniel Phillips, age 46, in December of 2010. With the assistance of the federal government, Phillips was located in Iraq. Arrangements were made to fly Phillips to Kuwait and then Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia.

Phillips arrived at Dulles Saturday morning. Norfolk Fugitive Investigators accompanied by U.S. Marshalls boarded the plane and took Phillips into custody without incident at approximately 7:15 a.m. He was returned to Norfolk and is currently in the Norfolk City Jail awaiting trial for rape, aggravated sexual battery, and indecent liberties with a child.

I want to know who this dirt bag has been working for in Iraq and how he was able to get past the “wants and warrants” check for a Common Access Card (CAC). I would also be interested to see how many times he R&R’d to SE Asian countries such as Thailand where you can just buy yourself a little girl!

Ms Sparky

Update: Adam Weinstein at Mother Jones just came out with an awesome article with some more on this scum bag. Go check it out.

Contractor Hid in Iraq for Seven Years Over US Rape Charge

Updated: January 13, 2o11

NORFOLK – Bond was denied Thursday for a man police say left the country to escape a rape charge in Norfolk, Amanda Howie with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney office told WVEC.com.

Daniel Phillips, 46, was returned to Norfolk from the Middle East, where he’d been working as a civilian contractor, police stated.

He had been in Iraq, was flown to Kuwait, then to Dulles International Airport, where he was arrested by Norfolk Police and U.S. Marshals, according to investigators.

Police say he sexually assaulted a juvenile relative between 2004 and 2005.

His preliminary hearing is set for March 8, Howie added.

Updated: January 15, 2011

Daniel Phillips allegedly worked for DRS TSI (Formerly Tamsco)and was at a ‘MINI’ Satellite site in Balad

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, Rape, Hazing, Discrimination & Harassment. Tags: Child Crimes, Daniel Phillips, DRS Technologies, Rape. 99 Comments »

MG Arnold Fields calls it quits in Afghanistan

Posted on: January 11th, 2011 at 5:24 am — by Forseti

Pentagon official under fire from McCaskill quits

BILL LAMBRECHT - January 10, 2011 - WASHINGTON - Sen. Claire McCaskill’s campaign to get rid of the Pentagon’s special inspector general in Afghanistan looks to have succeeded even if the White House praised Arnold Fields as he walked out the door.

The Obama administration announced a short time ago that Fields had resigned his job ferreting out corruption in the Afghanistan Reconstruction office. No reason was given.

The White House lauded Fields for his ”hard work and steadfast determination,” a far cry from how McCaskill, D-Mo. and Senate colleagues have portrayed the retired Marine Corps major general.

Since last fall, McCaskill has orchestrated a drumbeat of criticism of Fields for allegedly being lax in overseeing the billions commited to development and assistance in Afghanistan.

As chair of the Homeland Security subcommittee on contracting oversight, McCaskill, a former Missouri state auditor, has criticized the audit methods and the absence of scrutiny that she says cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in waste.

A panel of U.S. inspectors general confirmed some of McCaskill’s charges, concluding last year that year that audits of the Field-run office were of poor quality.

In a recent interview with the Post-Dispatch, McCaskill expressed her frustration with the White House.

“I’m upset that he hasn’t been removed and I think the White House is making a big mistake,” she said.

“I continue to advocate as strongly as I know how that he is not the right person. Could he handle the job of inspector general in a small agency with relatively stable funding? Maybe. Can he handle this job, where we’ve got hundreds of millions of dollars pouring into a country that is riddled with corruption?…The president is wrong.”

McCaskill issued a statement tonight reiterating her belief that Fields was the wrong pick for the job.

“I hope that his departure will allow the agency to turn over a new leaf and finally begin to do the important contracting oversight work we so desperately need,” she said.

The White House did not say who would replace Fields. (Click HERE for original article)

Posted in Politics, Reports & Investigations, Senate & House Committee Hearings. Tags: Arnold Fields, Pentagon, Senator Claire McCaskill*, SIGAR. 1 Comment »

Ethics & principles vs. contractors with cash & other news

Posted on: January 9th, 2011 at 7:02 am — by Forseti

Resolutions, Accountability and Change

Big Defense Contractors Won Year-End Anti-Ethics Victory
Noel Brinkerhoff – AllGov – January 09, 2011 – The New Year did not bring newer, tougher conflict-of-interest rules for companies working for the Department of Defense, as was feared by industry. Instead of imposing revamped regulations for defense contractors, the Pentagon decided to water down its final proposal affecting large corporations that utilize subsidiaries to complete jobs for the military.

The new rule applied to so-called “organizational conflicts of interest,” in which the interests of a contractor are not compatible with the interests of the U.S. government. Writing in Wired, Spencer Ackerman gives the example of a defense company that wins a contract to build a weapon, while one of its subsidiaries gains a separate contract to test the weapon. The subsidiary can stretch the parent company’s contract by sending the weapon back for redesign. Before the new rule was put forth, companies were concerned that they might have to give up part of a project to resolve any Pentagon concerns. (Click HERE for article)

Pentagon vows action on porn cases
Inspector general says investigators will vet 1,700 files
Bryan Bender – Globe Staff/WASHINGTON – January 8, 2011 – The Pentagon’s top investigator yesterday vowed an “all-out pursuit’’ of any employees who downloaded child pornography, adding that his division would review the 1,700 potential cases that were referred to military investigators four years ago but were never screened.

Gordon S. Heddell, the Department of Defense’s inspector general, said in a statement to the Globe that his office is working aggressively to correct the mishandling of cases identified in a multidepartment government probe called Operation Flicker.

“I can assure those with questions that my office is conducting an aggressive pursuit of anyone implicated in Operation Flicker and that it is a key investigative priority,’’ Heddell said in his first public statement on the matter.

The Pentagon agency has faced intense criticism in recent months for its part of a nationwide child pornography investigation that was spearheaded by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has jurisdiction for such federal crimes under its mandate.

The Globe reported earlier this week the Pentagon had checked only 3,500 out of 5,200 people who were suspected of downloading child pornography. (Click HERE for article)

Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Bribery in Afghanistan Fuel Theft Scheme
WASHINGTON – January 7, 2011 – A former U.S. Army staff sergeant was sentenced today to 90 months in prison in connection with a fuel theft scheme to solicit more than $400,000 in bribes from a government contractor in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Army’s LOGCAP contract is epic failure

Posted on: January 8th, 2011 at 7:46 am — by Ms Sparky

We’ve been screaming mismanagement for years now. Hopefully the IG will investigate Fluor, Dyncorp and KBR’s LOGCAP contracts. The Army appears to just do what they want. I believe they maintain the position “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission!” I compare the LOGCAP III and IV contracts to the Wall Street Bailout! What a SCAM! ~ Ms Sparky

IG finds Army mismanaged contingency operations support contract

Robert Brodsky – January 7, 2011 – Army procurement officials failed to properly manage a key support contract for contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, awarding millions of dollars of work without competition and disclosing bidders’ proprietary information without their knowledge or consent, according to a watchdog’s new report.

The report by the Defense Department inspector general found scores of internal control weaknesses associated with the Army Sustainment Command’s management of a support contract for the massive Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, which provides a host of services and in-theatre assistance to soldiers. Three firms — DynCorp International, Fluor Corp. and KBR — compete for task orders on the LOGCAP IV contract.

Serco Inc. of Vienna, Va., in February 2007 won a $117 million support contract to help the Army plan and estimate costs of task orders on the LOGCAP IV contract. But, according to auditors, Army officials allowed the scope of Serco’s contract to expand to non-LOGCAP requirements without taking the proper steps to ensure competition and prevent conflicts of interest. (Read the rest of the story here…)