» 2011 » June Ms Sparky

Have a Happy Father’s Day!

Posted on: June 19th, 2011 at 4:37 am — by Ms Sparky

Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s who are currently deployed and are serving our country. Being deployed adds additional challenges to being a Father. Thanks to the family members who are back home picking up the slack.

Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s who have sons and daughters serving to protect our freedoms. What amazing children you have raised.

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

For those who have lost fathers in the Middle East or anywhere at anytime, I hope you will take a moment to reflect on what they contributed to your life.

While other fathers are being honored, Gold Star Fathers feel the pain and emptiness that only the loss of a child can bring. May you find some peace and comfort on this day.

I would like to express special gratitude to the Grandfathers, and most notably my husband, who have stepped up to raise their grandchildren and fill the role of Father for whatever reasons.

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

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Posted in Miscellaneous. Tags: Father's Day. No Comments »

Judge rules against KBR in Ryan Maseth case (with opinion)

Posted on: June 17th, 2011 at 11:45 am — by Ms Sparky

For a copy of Judge Nora Barry Fischer’s opinion click HERE

Judge: Iraq law won’t apply to Maseth wrongful death suit

Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth

Brian Bowling – PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW – June 17, 2011 – A defense contractor wasn’t in Iraq at the request of the government or because of its business climate, so Iraq has no interest in applying its civil tort laws to a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the company by the parents of a dead soldier, a federal judge ruled today.

The parents of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, a native of Shaler, are suing KBR Inc. for the Jan. 2, 2008, death of their son while he showered on a military base in Iraq maintained by the company. Cheryl Harris and Douglas Maseth claim shoddy electrical work by the contractor caused their son’s electrocution.

KBR had the maintenance contract for the base but claims it was not responsible for repairs and did not work on the pump.

The Houston-based defense contractor asked U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to apply Iraqi law to the lawsuit because Iraq`s laws would make it hard for Maseth`s parents to prove KBR was responsible for his death, limit the compensatory damages they could receive and prevent them from getting punitive damages.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in A Soldiers Story, Cheryl Harris vs KBR, Electrocutions/Shocks, Lawsuits Against KBR, LOGCAP III - KBR, Ryan Maseth-US Army. Tags: Cheryl Harris, Electrocutions, Judge Nora Barry Fischer, KBR, SSG Ryan Maseth. 1 Comment »

LOGCAP IV contractors – a trifecta of fraud & corruption

Posted on: June 17th, 2011 at 10:54 am — by Forseti

Texas-Based Fluor Corporation to Pay U.S. $4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act Liability

Allegations Related to Contract at Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington State

WASHINGTON – Fluor Hanford Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fluor Federal Services Inc. and Fluor Corporation, has agreed to pay the United States $4 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims and paid and received kickbacks relating to a contract to operate and manage mixed radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Nuclear Site in Hanford, Wash. Fluor Corporation is headquartered in Irving, Texas, near Dallas.

Between 2003 and 2008, Fluor employed individuals known as material coordinators, whose job responsibilities included purchasing supplies for use by Fluor on its DOE contract. Between 2003 and 2008, three such material coordinators, Susanna Zuniga, Gregory Detloff and Paul Kempf, made hundreds of fraudulent purchases using government purchase cards, using their positions and exploiting weaknesses in Fluor’s internal control system to funnel DOE funds to themselves.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Fluor, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, Qui Tam, Reports & Investigations. Tags: Anti-Kickback Act, False Claims Act, Fast Pipe and Supply Company, Fluor*, Fraud, Gregory Detloff, Hanford Nuclear Facility, Paul Kempf, Shane Fast, Susanna Zuniga. 6 Comments »

Woman suing KBR testifies against company

Posted on: June 17th, 2011 at 2:49 am — by Ms Sparky

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Jamie Leigh Jones fought for six years to have a trial and tell her story to jury. On Thursday afternoon, she got her chance, tearing up at times and even apologizing.

“I’m sorry I’m so emotional, I’ve waited six years to tell my story,” she told jurors.

Jones described her early days as a Houston employee for KBR at just 19. She tells the story of a boss forcing sexual relations with her and telling her she could lose her job if she didn’t comply. Jones says she played the part out of fear and to help make money for her sick mother, with whom she was sharing a one-bedroom apartment.

The former KBR worker agreed to then move to Iraq where she could triple the money she was making in Houston.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, Jamie Jones vs KBR, Lawsuits Against KBR, LOGCAP III - KBR, Rape, Hazing, Discrimination & Harassment. Tags: Camp Hope, Employee Issues-KBR, Jamie Leigh Jones, Jones vs. KBR, KBR, Rape. No Comments »

Al Qaeda hit list targets execs at KBR and Halliburton

Posted on: June 16th, 2011 at 7:53 pm — by Ms Sparky

Al Qaeda-Linked Site Posts ‘Hit List’ of U.S. Targets, Prompting Feds to Send Alert
By Judson Berger
Published June 16, 2011
FoxNews.com

The Department of Homeland Security has sent out an internal alert warning that jihadist websites last week posted a “hit list” of American executives, officials and companies — an alarming development that could mark the start of a new phase in terror plots.

The list, which covers dozens of names connected to the Iraq war, including executives at Halliburton and KBR, was compiled by users who vowed to “send explosive mail” to the “best target.” The lists were published online around the same time American-born Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn released a video in which he called on Muslims in the U.S. to kill Americans.

Security analysts believe the two messages are related and underscore a shift in terror strategy — from top-down, mass-casualty events to smaller-scale attacks taken up, in some cases, by freelancing, lone-wolf jihadists.

The DHS bulletin, obtained by FoxNews.com, described how posts on the Arabic-language Ansar al-Mujahideen forum discussed “specific targets” for potential attack. The discussion originated on a more secure Al Qaeda-linked site known as the Shumukh forum. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS. Tags: al Qaeda, Halliburton, KBR. 2 Comments »

KBR attorneys attempt to discredit victim of brutal rape

Posted on: June 15th, 2011 at 6:18 am — by Ms Sparky

Attorney: KBR didn’t have hostile work environment
by Kevin Reece – KHOU 11 News – June 14, 2011

HOUSTON –Attorneys for KBR told a federal civil court jury on Tuesday that their best defense against accusations of rape and sexual harassment is the trustworthiness of the accuser herself.

A jury of eight men and three women heard opening arguments in the lawsuit Jamie Leigh Jones brought against KBR and KBR firefighter Charles Boartz. The case goes back to 2005 when Jones was a KBR IT technician assigned to Camp Hope in Baghdad.

Within 72 hours of arriving she claims KBR firefighters drugged her by placing something in a drink and that when she awoke the next morning she was naked and had injuries consistent with sexual assault. Boartz claims their encounter was consensual.

“I’ve been fighting this for six years,” Jones said before opening arguments began. “I’m just happy to step inside of a courtroom and get some justice.”

Part of the delay in getting her day in court stemmed from KBR’s insistence that the allegations be dealt with through the employee arbitration proceedings spelled out in Jones’ employment contract. Courts eventually sided with Jones. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, Jamie Jones vs KBR, LAWSUITS, LOGCAP III - KBR, LOGCAP IV - KBR, Rape, Hazing, Discrimination & Harassment. Tags: Andrew McKinney, Charles Boartz, Charles Bortz, Jamie Leigh Jones, Jones vs. KBR, KBR, Todd Kelly. 4 Comments »

Contractor Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Death of Afghan National in Kabul, Afghanistan

Posted on: June 14th, 2011 at 1:14 pm — by Forseti

(DoJ) – WASHINGTON – June 14, 2011 – Christopher Drotleff, 31, of Virginia Beach, Va., was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for his role in shooting and killing an Afghan national while on an unauthorized convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 5, 2009, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s 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. U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar also ordered Drotleff to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

On March 11, 2011, Drotleff and Justin Cannon, 29, of Corpus Christi, Texas, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter while working as contractors for the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan. Cannon and Drotleff were acquitted of other charges, including second-degree murder, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and firearms offenses. Cannon is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2011.

“Mr. Drotleff’s criminal conduct led to a tragic loss of innocent life,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “We hope that today’s sentence will bring some measure of comfort to the victims’ families. Reckless violence by those who are employed by our armed forces abroad endangers the lives of innocent civilians and undermines the trust that our international partners have placed in our military efforts. Mr. Drotleff’s conduct stands in stark contrast to the actions of the many brave men and women who serve this country honorably.”

(Read the rest of the story here…)